# Is "The Souls of Black Folk" by W. E. B. Du Bois a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois (A. C. McClurg & Co., 1903) is identified by: McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine. US A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine
- The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'Published April, 1903' with NO later-edition or later-printing statement
- Because the book reprinted rapidly, every later impression adds an edition/date statement — the copyright page is the point to check
- (No separate textual first-issue point is documented in the sources consulted.)
- Publisher imprint reads A. C. McClurg & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. E. B. Du Bois |
| Publisher | A. C. McClurg & Co. |
| Year | 1903 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago, 1903; x, 265 pp., bound in publisher's black cloth ruled in blind and lettered in gilt on the front cover and spine. The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'Published April, 1903' with NO later-edition or later-printing statement. Because the book reprinted rapidly, every later impression adds an edition/date statement — the copyright page is the point to check. (No separate textual first-issue point is documented in the sources consulted.)

## Is this the true first?
US A. C. McClurg (Chicago), 1903 is the true first. Multiple printings/editions followed quickly, each dated on the copyright page — e.g. Second Edition (June 1, 1903), Third Edition (August 1, 1903), and a Fifth Edition (November 1, 1904); McClurg issued some two dozen editions through 1940. Only the first printing ('Published April, 1903,' with no later statement) is the true first; the many later dated printings are common and frequently miscatalogued as firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the first printing by the ABSENCE of any later-edition statement on the copyright page; later 1903 impressions and subsequent McClurg editions carry dated edition statements. The first British edition (Archibald Constable & Co., London, 1905; black cloth, gilt) appeared two years later and is NOT the true first. No book-club edition is at issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Souls of Black Folk* by W. E. B. Du Bois a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-souls-of-black-folk
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.