# Is "The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed" by Lee Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed by Lee Smith (Harper & Row, 1968) is identified by: The first printing has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, the Harper & Row convention from 1922 into the early 1970s (number lines did not appear until 1975). The US Harper & Row edition is the true first; no prior edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, the Harper & Row convention from 1922 into the early 1970s (number lines did not appear until 1975)
- Harper books of this era also carry a two-letter month-and-year printing code on the copyright page that can confirm a 1968 printing
- First-issue jacket priced on the front flap
- The author's first novel
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lee Smith |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, the Harper & Row convention from 1922 into the early 1970s… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing has the words First Edition stated on the copyright page, the Harper & Row convention from 1922 into the early 1970s (number lines did not appear until 1975). Harper books of this era also carry a two-letter month-and-year printing code on the copyright page that can confirm a 1968 printing. First-issue jacket priced on the front flap. The author's first novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper & Row edition is the true first; no prior edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings remove the First Edition statement and/or carry a later month-and-year code; no significant book-club edition recorded.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Day the Dogbushes Bloomed* by Lee Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-day-the-dogbushes-bloomed
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.