# Is "The Third Life of Grange Copeland" by Alice Walker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Third Life of Grange Copeland by Alice Walker (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1970) is identified by: Walker's second book and first novel. US HBJ 1970 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Walker's second book and first novel
- Paper-covered boards over a red cloth spine, titles stamped in silver
- Copyright page states First edition
- Original dust jacket priced and unclipped on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alice Walker |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace Jovanovich |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Walker's second book and first novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Walker's second book and first novel. Paper-covered boards over a red cloth spine, titles stamped in silver; 247 pp. Copyright page states First edition. Original dust jacket priced and unclipped on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US HBJ 1970 is the true first. 1970 is the transition year when the letter-line system was just being introduced, so the reliable point is the stated First edition together with a first-state priced jacket rather than a specific letter line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware the later HBJ reissue that adds a 1988 afterword copyright; that is not the 1970 first. Later printings drop the First edition statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Third Life of Grange Copeland* by Alice Walker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-third-life-of-grange-copeland
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.