# Is "The Just and the Unjust" by James Gould Cozzens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Just and the Unjust by James Gould Cozzens (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1942) is identified by: First Edition stated on the copyright page. US first edition (Harcourt, Brace, 1942); the UK edition followed from Longmans in 1943, so the US printing precedes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Edition stated on the copyright page
- Bound in black cloth boards lettered in white on the spine, with a yellow topstain
- 434 pages
- The dust jacket carries the original published retail price on the front flap, and an unclipped, price-intact flap is the desirable state
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Gould Cozzens |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Company |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Edition stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Edition stated on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth boards lettered in white on the spine, with a yellow topstain; 434 pages. The dust jacket carries the original published retail price on the front flap, and an unclipped, price-intact flap is the desirable state.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Harcourt, Brace, 1942); the UK edition followed from Longmans in 1943, so the US printing precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club issue lacks the copyright-page First Edition statement and typically carries a blind-stamp to the lower rear board; trade reprints likewise omit the First Edition statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Just and the Unjust* by James Gould Cozzens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-just-and-the-unjust
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.