# Is "The Names and Faces of Heroes" by Reynolds Price a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Names and Faces of Heroes by Reynolds Price (Atheneum, 1963) is identified by: First US edition states First Edition on the copyright page; Atheneum used the explicit First Edition statement (no number line) through the mid-1980s. US edition (Atheneum) and UK edition (Chatto and Windus) both appeared in 1963; collectors generally treat the Atheneum printing as the first, but precedence over the London edition is not firmly established, so the US copy should not be asserted as definitively prior.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition states First Edition on the copyright page
- Atheneum used the explicit First Edition statement (no number line) through the mid-1980s
- Story collection, the author's second book following A Long and Happy Life
- First-issue jacket carries the original price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Reynolds Price |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition states First Edition on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition states First Edition on the copyright page; Atheneum used the explicit First Edition statement (no number line) through the mid-1980s. Story collection, the author's second book following A Long and Happy Life. First-issue jacket carries the original price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US edition (Atheneum) and UK edition (Chatto and Windus) both appeared in 1963; collectors generally treat the Atheneum printing as the first, but precedence over the London edition is not firmly established, so the US copy should not be asserted as definitively prior.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the First Edition statement, are printed on thinner bulk, typically carry a blind stamp to the lower rear board, and have a jacket with no flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Names and Faces of Heroes* by Reynolds Price a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-names-and-faces-of-heroes
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.