# Is "The Long March" by William Styron a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Long March by William Styron (The Modern Library, 1952) is identified by: The true first is the Modern Library paperback original of 1952, catalog number P22, with its printed price on the cover. True first book appearance is the 1952 Modern Library paperback original (P22).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the Modern Library paperback original of 1952, catalog number P22, with its printed price on the cover
- This is a paperback original and is the actual first book appearance
- The novella had appeared in the magazine Discovery in 1952
- Publisher imprint reads The Modern Library
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Styron |
| Publisher | The Modern Library |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Modern Library paperback original of 1952, catalog number P22, with its printed price on the cover |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is the Modern Library paperback original of 1952, catalog number P22, with its printed price on the cover. This is a paperback original and is the actual first book appearance. The novella had appeared in the magazine Discovery in 1952.

## Is this the true first?
True first book appearance is the 1952 Modern Library paperback original (P22). No US hardcover appeared for many years afterward. The record's earlier framing (a 1961 Vintage V-159 paperback original or a 1956 hardcover as the true first) is incorrect.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition is the issue here; the point of issue is recognizing the 1952 Modern Library paperback original as the true first, identified by the P22 designation and the printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Long March* by William Styron a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-long-march
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.