# Is "The Work of Saint Francis" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Work of Saint Francis by MacKinlay Kantor (World Publishing, 1958) is identified by: First edition published by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1958, illustrated by Johannes Troyer; 107 pages in cloth with dust jacket. US first edition, World Publishing, Cleveland and New York, 1958, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1958, illustrated by Johannes Troyer
- 107 pages in cloth with dust jacket
- A standalone story
- A first-issue jacket retains the printed cover price on the flap (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads World Publishing
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | World Publishing |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1958, illustrated by Johannes Troyer |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition published by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1958, illustrated by Johannes Troyer; 107 pages in cloth with dust jacket. A standalone story. A first-issue jacket retains the printed cover price on the flap (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
US first edition, World Publishing, Cleveland and New York, 1958, is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints follow the 1958 first; no significant book-club edition point recorded for this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Work of Saint Francis* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-work-of-saint-francis
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.