# Is "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Pearl by John Steinbeck (The Viking Press, New York, 1947) is identified by: First printing has the statement 'Published by The Viking Press in December 1947' on the copyright page (not 'First Published 1947'). True US first book edition; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1948.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the statement 'Published by The Viking Press in December 1947' on the copyright page (not 'First Published 1947')
- Illustrated with drawings by Jose Clemente Orozco
- The first-state dust jacket carries the printed price and shows the photograph of Steinbeck looking to his left, toward the spine; the second-state jacket shows him glancing to the right
- The story had earlier appeared in Woman's Home Companion
- as 'The Pearl of the World,' but that is a periodical appearance, not the book first
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Steinbeck |
| Publisher | The Viking Press, New York |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the statement 'Published by The Viking Press in December 1947' on the copyright page (not 'First Published 1947') |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has the statement 'Published by The Viking Press in December 1947' on the copyright page (not 'First Published 1947'). Illustrated with drawings by Jose Clemente Orozco. The first-state dust jacket carries the printed price and shows the photograph of Steinbeck looking to his left, toward the spine; the second-state jacket shows him glancing to the right. The story had earlier appeared in Woman's Home Companion (1945) as 'The Pearl of the World,' but that is a periodical appearance, not the book first.

## Is this the true first?
True US first book edition; precedes the UK Heinemann edition of 1948.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue for the true first. Later printings carry additional printing statements on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Pearl* by John Steinbeck a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pearl
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.