# Is "The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778" by Alfred Barnaby Thomas a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778 by Alfred Barnaby Thomas (University of New Mexico Press, 1940) is identified by: The first edition is the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1940 printing: xv, 232 pages, 28 cm, with a bibliography on pages 215 to 221, recorded by the Library of Congress under card number 41-8238 (call number F799.T49). The 1940 University of New Mexico Press printing is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition is the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1940 printing: xv, 232 pages, 28 cm, with a bibliography on pages 215 to 221, recorded by the Library of Congress under card number 41-8238 (call number F799.T49)
- It was issued as Volume XI of the Coronado Cuarto Centennial Publications, 1540-1940, under the general editorship of George P. Hammond, and the series title and volume number are printed on the series half-title; some catalog records omit the series, so check the book itself
- The copyright page reads "Copyright, 1940 by The University of New Mexico Press, All Rights Reserved" with no edition statement and no later-printing line
- The full title is The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778: A Collection of Documents Illustrative of the History of the Eastern Frontier of New Mexico
- The copy examined for this entry is bound in red cloth with untrimmed fore-edges, in a pictorial yellow and orange jacket showing the Zia sun symbol, a pueblo scene and mounted riders; the front flap carries the printed price, and the rear panel lists the Coronado Cuarto Centennial titles then on sale
- Publisher imprint reads University of New Mexico Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alfred Barnaby Thomas |
| Publisher | University of New Mexico Press |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first edition is the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1940 printing: xv, 232 pages, 28 cm, with a bibliography on pages 215… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first edition is the University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1940 printing: xv, 232 pages, 28 cm, with a bibliography on pages 215 to 221, recorded by the Library of Congress under card number 41-8238 (call number F799.T49). It was issued as Volume XI of the Coronado Cuarto Centennial Publications, 1540-1940, under the general editorship of George P. Hammond, and the series title and volume number are printed on the series half-title; some catalog records omit the series, so check the book itself. The copyright page reads "Copyright, 1940 by The University of New Mexico Press, All Rights Reserved" with no edition statement and no later-printing line. The full title is The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778: A Collection of Documents Illustrative of the History of the Eastern Frontier of New Mexico. The copy examined for this entry is bound in red cloth with untrimmed fore-edges, in a pictorial yellow and orange jacket showing the Zia sun symbol, a pueblo scene and mounted riders; the front flap carries the printed price, and the rear panel lists the Coronado Cuarto Centennial titles then on sale.

## Is this the true first?
The 1940 University of New Mexico Press printing is the true first edition. It is a US first, published in Albuquerque, and no earlier edition exists.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is documented. AMS Press of New York later reprinted the book (ISBN 0-404-15726-2); any ISBN or an AMS Press imprint marks a reprint, and a copy without the Coronado Cuarto Centennial series half-title deserves a closer look.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Plains Indians and New Mexico, 1751-1778* by Alfred Barnaby Thomas a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-plains-indians-and-new-mexico-1751-1778
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.