# Is "The Town" by Conrad Richter a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Town by Conrad Richter (Alfred A. Knopf, 1950) is identified by: First edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi colophon. US Knopf 1950 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi colophon
- Red cloth, blue lettering and grey decoration to front board and spine, grey top stain; first-issue priced dust jacket designed by John O'Hara Cosgrave II. Third volume of The Awakening Land trilogy; won the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, so the first-issue jacket predates any Pulitzer notice
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Conrad Richter |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi colophon |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi colophon. Red cloth, blue lettering and grey decoration to front board and spine, grey top stain; first-issue priced dust jacket designed by John O'Hara Cosgrave II. Third volume of The Awakening Land trilogy; won the 1951 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, so the first-issue jacket predates any Pulitzer notice.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf 1950 is the true first. Jackets advertising the Pulitzer Prize belong to later printings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions omit the 'FIRST EDITION' statement, carry a Pulitzer-free but unpriced jacket, and show a blind stamp on the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Town* by Conrad Richter a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-town
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.