# Is "The Last Adam" by James Gould Cozzens a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Adam by James Gould Cozzens (Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933) is identified by: First edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933; roughly 301 pages. US first (Harcourt, Brace, 1933).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933; roughly 301 pages
- The first-edition binding is black woven cloth with the spine lettered in white and a pictorial paper label pasted to the front board reproducing a wood engraving by Frank Peers; the priced dust jacket carries the same church/pictorial cover art
- Reprints and later issues lack the stated 'First Edition' line
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt, Brace and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Gould Cozzens |
| Publisher | Harcourt, Brace and Company |
| Year | 1933 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933; roughly 301 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page, New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1933; roughly 301 pages. The first-edition binding is black woven cloth with the spine lettered in white and a pictorial paper label pasted to the front board reproducing a wood engraving by Frank Peers; the priced dust jacket carries the same church/pictorial cover art. Reprints and later issues lack the stated 'First Edition' line.

## Is this the true first?
US first (Harcourt, Brace, 1933). The first UK edition was issued by Longmans, Green in 1934 under the changed title A Cure of Flesh. Grosset & Dunlap later issued a cheap reprint, which is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book-of-the-Month Club issue exists and can be distinguished from the trade first: only the trade first carries the stated 'First Edition' line on the copyright page, which the club issue and later reprints lack.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Adam* by James Gould Cozzens a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-adam
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.