The points of issue
First separate edition, 1936, Falmouth Book House, Portland, Maine. A limited issue of about 300 numbered copies signed by Caldwell, illustrated with wood engravings by Ralph Frizzell. Prose poem of roughly 57 pages in pale green boards with a printed dust jacket.
Is this the true first?
US first separate edition; scarce signed limited issue. The text had appeared earlier, in slightly different form, as the closing piece in the collection American Earth (1931); this is its first appearance as a separate book.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No trade reprint of this signed limited issue; later reprints in collected editions are not the limited first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Sacrilege of Alan Kent a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First separate edition, 1936, Falmouth Book House, Portland, Maine. A limited issue of about 300 numbered copies signed by Caldwell, illustrated with wood engravings by Ralph Frizzell. Prose poem of roughly 57 pages in pale green boards with a printed dust jacket.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US first separate edition; scarce signed limited issue. The text had appeared earlier, in slightly different form, as the closing piece in the collection American Earth (1931); this is its first appearance as a separate book.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No trade reprint of this signed limited issue; later reprints in collected editions are not the limited first.
I have a first edition of The Sacrilege of Alan Kent — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.