# Is "The Ox-Bow Incident" by Walter Van Tilburg Clark a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter Van Tilburg Clark (Random House, 1940) is identified by: Duplicate cross-reference; see main Ox-Bow entry. The US Random House 1940 trade edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Duplicate cross-reference; see main Ox-Bow entry
- The true first carries 'First Printing' on the copyright page, in tan/oatmeal cloth with brown spine lettering and the Random House device on the title page and spine
- The top edge is dyed gray
- 8vo, 309 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Van Tilburg Clark |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Duplicate cross-reference; see main Ox-Bow entry |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Duplicate cross-reference; see main Ox-Bow entry. The true first carries 'First Printing' on the copyright page, in tan/oatmeal cloth with brown spine lettering and the Random House device on the title page and spine. The top edge is dyed gray; 8vo, 309 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House 1940 trade edition is the true first. Do not confuse it with the later Modern Library edition (running-torchbearer colophon), which is a separate first-thus reprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 'First Printing' statement. Do not confuse the Modern Library issue (running-torchbearer colophon) or other reprints with the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ox-Bow Incident* by Walter Van Tilburg Clark a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ox-bow-incident
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.