# Is "The Weary Blues" by Langston Hughes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Weary Blues by Langston Hughes (Alfred A. Knopf, 1926) is identified by: Hughes's first book; introduction by Carl Van Vechten, dust-jacket design by Miguel Covarrubias. US Knopf (1926) is the true first; no prior UK edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hughes's first book; introduction by Carl Van Vechten, dust-jacket design by Miguel Covarrubias
- First printing: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926, in an edition of 1,500 copies; quarter blue cloth spine lettered in gilt over patterned (batik-style) paper boards, with the Borzoi device, in dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Langston Hughes |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Hughes's first book; introduction by Carl Van Vechten, dust-jacket design by Miguel Covarrubias |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Hughes's first book; introduction by Carl Van Vechten, dust-jacket design by Miguel Covarrubias. First printing: Alfred A. Knopf, 1926, in an edition of 1,500 copies; quarter blue cloth spine lettered in gilt over patterned (batik-style) paper boards, with the Borzoi device, in dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (1926) is the true first; no prior UK edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. The first printing was 1,500 copies and was reprinted soon after; later printings carry printing statements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Weary Blues* by Langston Hughes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-weary-blues
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.