# Is "The Promise of American Life" by Herbert Croly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Promise of American Life by Herbert Croly (Macmillan, 1909) is identified by: Cloth; 1909 title-page date with no later-impression statement. US Macmillan (New York) true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 1909 title-page date with no later-impression statement
- Published November 1909; reprinted June 1910, April 1911, and March 1912, so an undated-reprint statement or a later date indicates a subsequent printing
- A landmark of Progressive-era political thought
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Herbert Croly |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1909 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 1909 title-page date with no later-impression statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cloth; 1909 title-page date with no later-impression statement. Published November 1909; reprinted June 1910, April 1911, and March 1912, so an undated-reprint statement or a later date indicates a subsequent printing. A landmark of Progressive-era political thought.

## Is this the true first?
US Macmillan (New York) true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry 1910, 1911, or 1912 dating or reprint statements; confirm the 1909 date and absence of any later-impression line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Promise of American Life* by Herbert Croly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-promise-of-american-life
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.