# Is "The Jaybird" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Jaybird by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1932) is identified by: First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1932; blue cloth-covered boards with white titles on front and spine, 294 pages. US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1932).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1932; blue cloth-covered boards with white titles on front and spine, 294 pages
- No number line was used; a first shows the 1932 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1932; blue cloth-covered boards with white titles on front and spine, 294 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition issued by Coward-McCann, New York, in 1932; blue cloth-covered boards with white titles on front and spine, 294 pages. No number line was used; a first shows the 1932 imprint with no later-printing notice on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Coward-McCann, 1932).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints exist; confirm the copyright page carries no additional-printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Jaybird* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-jaybird
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.