Is My The Founding of New England a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Cloth-bound octavo, Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1921, xv + 482 pages
• The true first bears the copyright-page statement "First Impression, May, 1921" with no later-impression line beneath it
• Later issues add a second line reading "Second Impression, Nov
• 1922," which identifies a reprint rather than the first impression

How Atlantic Monthly Press marked a first edition

• Pre-1925: did not use a first-edition statement, did not consistently put the publication date on the title page, and did not always list later printings — identification relies on dust jacket, ads, and binding points.

Full Atlantic Monthly Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US Atlantic Monthly Press (Boston) true first, first impression of May 1921. Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for History in 1922 (the prize itself was first given in 1917, so this was not the inaugural award). The distinguishing point is the "First Impression, May, 1921" statement standing alone.P-013996

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The November 1922 second impression adds a "Second Impression, Nov. 1922" line to the copyright page; later reprints by other publishers are separate settings and not the 1921 first.P-013997

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Founding of New England a first edition?

A first edition of The Founding of New England by James Truslow Adams (Atlantic Monthly Press) is identified by: Cloth-bound octavo, Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1921, xv + 482 pages.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. US Atlantic Monthly Press (Boston) true first, first impression of May 1921.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The November 1922 second impression adds a "Second Impression, Nov. 1922" line to the copyright page; later reprints by other publishers are separate settings and not the 1921 first.

I have a first edition of The Founding of New England — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.