# Is "The Life Adventurous and Other Stories" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Life Adventurous and Other Stories by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1947) is identified by: First printing; short-story collection. US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1947.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing; short-story collection
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing; short-story collection |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing; short-story collection.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, published by The Vanguard Press, New York, 1947.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Vanguard indicated subsequent printings on the copyright page; a true first printing carries no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Life Adventurous and Other Stories* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-life-adventurous-and-other-stories
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.