# Is "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Guns of August by Barbara W. Tuchman (The Macmillan Company, 1962) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Printing'. The US Macmillan edition is the true first; the UK (Constable, issued as 'August 1914') is a separate 'first thus.' The book won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Printing'
- Black cloth with silver spine and front-panel lettering; cartographic (illustrated) endpapers; octavo, xii + 511 pp
- First-state dust jacket carries the printed price; jacket design by Ellen Raskin
- Published late January 1962
- Publisher imprint reads The Macmillan Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara W. Tuchman |
| Publisher | The Macmillan Company |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Printing' |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Printing'. Black cloth with silver spine and front-panel lettering; cartographic (illustrated) endpapers; octavo, xii + 511 pp. First-state dust jacket carries the printed price; jacket design by Ellen Raskin. Published late January 1962.

## Is this the true first?
The US Macmillan edition is the true first; the UK (Constable, issued as 'August 1914') is a separate 'first thus.' The book won the 1963 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction. Macmillan used a 'First Printing' statement rather than a number line in this era.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club edition omits the front-flap printed price, carries a blindstamped dot or indent near the spine on the rear board, and does not state 'First Printing' on the copyright page; it is also typically lighter in construction. The stated 'First Printing' plus the priced Raskin jacket identify the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Guns of August* by Barbara W. Tuchman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-guns-of-august
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.