# Is "The Weather Shelter" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Weather Shelter by Erskine Caldwell (World Publishing, 1969) is identified by: First edition published by The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland, 1969. US first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland, 1969
- World firsts are identified by a stated First Edition or First Printing line on the copyright page, not by the absence of a number line
- Publisher imprint reads World Publishing
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | World Publishing |
| Year | 1969 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland, 1969 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition published by The World Publishing Company, New York and Cleveland, 1969. World firsts are identified by a stated First Edition or First Printing line on the copyright page, not by the absence of a number line.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later New American Library and UK (W.H. Allen) editions are not the first. Confirm the stated First Edition or First Printing line on the World copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Weather Shelter* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-weather-shelter
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.