# Is "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (The Viking Press, 1939) is identified by: Trade first (the only first-edition form): the copyright page carries a single edition line, 'First published in April 1939,' with NO later-printing statements beneath it. US Viking Press trade first (New York, April 1939) is the true first — and the only first-edition form.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first (the only first-edition form): the copyright page carries a single edition line, 'First published in April 1939,' with NO later-printing statements beneath it
- Contrary to a widespread error, the copyright page does not read 'First Edition' — the words 'FIRST EDITION' appear only on the dust jacket, printed at the lower right of the front flap, with the original printed price at the head of that same flap
- Light-grey cloth stamped in dark reddish-brown, top edge stained yellow; pictorial endpapers reproduce the sheet music to 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' (source of the title); jacket art by Elmer Hader
- Because the second and third printings were called for before publication, a genuine first must show only the lone 'April 1939' line and nothing added below it
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Steinbeck |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1939 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first (the only first-edition form): the copyright page carries a single edition line, 'First published in April 1939,' with NO… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first (the only first-edition form): the copyright page carries a single edition line, 'First published in April 1939,' with NO later-printing statements beneath it. Contrary to a widespread error, the copyright page does not read 'First Edition' — the words 'FIRST EDITION' appear only on the dust jacket, printed at the lower right of the front flap, with the original printed price at the head of that same flap. Light-grey cloth stamped in dark reddish-brown, top edge stained yellow; pictorial endpapers reproduce the sheet music to 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' (source of the title); jacket art by Elmer Hader. Because the second and third printings were called for before publication, a genuine first must show only the lone 'April 1939' line and nothing added below it.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking Press trade first (New York, April 1939) is the true first — and the only first-edition form. NO signed or numbered limited edition was issued to precede or parallel it; signed copies exist only as individually inscribed presentation copies, not as a limited issue. The UK first (Heinemann, London, September 1939) follows: US precedes UK. A separate deluxe illustrated edition appeared LATER, in 1940, from the Limited Editions Club — two quarto volumes with 67 Thomas Hart Benton lithographs, one of 1,146 copies signed by Benton (the illustrator, not Steinbeck), in slipcase. That LEC set is a noted 'first illustrated edition' but a 1940 production that does not precede the 1939 trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club reprints carry the 1939 copyright date but lack the 'First published in April 1939' line and lack the jacket's 'First Edition' statement; they are typically thinner, show a blind-stamped dimple to the rear board, and come in an unpriced or price-clipped jacket. Absence of the single 'April 1939' line on the copyright page = not a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Grapes of Wrath* by John Steinbeck a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-grapes-of-wrath
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.