# Is "The Founding of New England" by James Truslow Adams a First Edition?

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

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Atlantic Monthly Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Truslow Adams |
| Publisher | Atlantic Monthly Press |
| Year | 1921 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth-bound octavo, Boston: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1921, xv + 482 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Founding of New England* by James Truslow Adams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-founding-of-new-england
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.