# Is "The League of Frightened Philistines" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The League of Frightened Philistines by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1945) is identified by: First printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US first edition, published in New York by The Vanguard Press in 1945.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- A collection of essays and papers; the full title on the title page is The League of Frightened Philistines and Other Papers, collation roughly xiv, 210 pages
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1945 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing carries no later-printing statement on the copyright page. A collection of essays and papers; the full title on the title page is The League of Frightened Philistines and Other Papers, collation roughly xiv, 210 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, published in New York by The Vanguard Press in 1945.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are stated as such; the first has no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The League of Frightened Philistines* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-league-of-frightened-philistines
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.