# Is "The Way West" by A. B. Guthrie Jr. a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Way West by A. B. Guthrie Jr. (William Sloane Associates, 1949) is identified by: First printing under the William Sloane Associates imprint, New York, 1949, with 'first edition' stated and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The US William Sloane Associates 1949 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing under the William Sloane Associates imprint, New York, 1949, with 'first edition' stated and no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Quarter cloth binding with maps of the Independence-to-Oregon route, in the original priced first-issue dust jacket
- Sequel to The Big Sky
- Publisher imprint reads William Sloane Associates
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | A. B. Guthrie Jr. |
| Publisher | William Sloane Associates |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing under the William Sloane Associates imprint, New York, 1949, with 'first edition' stated and no later-printing statement on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing under the William Sloane Associates imprint, New York, 1949, with 'first edition' stated and no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Quarter cloth binding with maps of the Independence-to-Oregon route, in the original priced first-issue dust jacket. Sequel to The Big Sky.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Sloane Associates 1949 edition is the true first. The novel won the 1950 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, so true first-issue jackets predate and do not mention any Pulitzer award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions omit the Sloane first-issue points, are unpriced on the jacket, and carry a blind stamp on the rear board; the priced first-issue jacket without any Pulitzer notice distinguishes the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Way West* by A. B. Guthrie Jr. a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-way-west
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.