The points of issue
Partly accurate, but two claims need correction and one is unverifiable. TRUE-FIRST (CONFIRMED): The US J.B. Lippincott Company edition, Philadelphia, 1937, is the genuine true first edition. British/UK editions are much later (the first UK appearance is the Virago Press paperback, 1986). Genuine 1937 firsts in the original dust jacket are genuinely scarce and valuable — jacketed copies are offered by dealers at roughly the printed price–the printed price the jacket is routinely described as "rare in the original," and the great majority of surviving copies lack it. This note is accurate. POINTS OF ISSUE — corrections: 1. COPYRIGHT-PAGE POINT (imprecise as written). The claim's framing ("Lippincott imprint with no later-printing notice") is a weak/imprecise rendering of the actual point. The standard identification is that the true first printing has the 1937 Lippincott imprint and copyright ("Copyright, 1937, by Zora Neale Hurston") with NO statement of any later printing/impression on the copyright page; later printings add such a notice. Reputable dealer copy commonly describes the first as "First edition, first printing." Recommend rephrasing to: "First printing: J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, 1937 imprint, with copyright 1937 and no statement of a later printing on the copyright page." 2. BINDING (incomplete). "Issued in cloth" is true but omits the key identifying detail: the publisher's binding is ORANGE cloth lettered in black (spine and front lettered in black). Specify the orange cloth. 3. JACKET PRICE "the printed price" (UNVERIFIABLE — remove or flag). No reachable source confirms a the printed price (or any specific) price printed on the first-edition jacket flap. Multiple dealer listings describe the jacket art (gold/tan ground with a God-like figure hurling lightning over a flooded landscape) but none state a flap price. This the printed price figure should be removed unless it can be confirmed against a documented jacketed copy; asserting it as a point of issue is not supported. SCARCITY: "genuine firsts are scarce" — accurate, and scarcer/most valuable in the original jacket.
Is this the true first?
US Lippincott is the true first; UK editions are much later. Genuine 1937 firsts in jacket are very scarce and valuable.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints (notably the 1970s revival editions) carry their own imprints and ISBNs; no contemporaneous book club matches the Lippincott first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Partly accurate, but two claims need correction and one is unverifiable. TRUE-FIRST (CONFIRMED): The US J.B. Lippincott Company edition, Philadelphia, 1937, is the genuine true first edition. British/UK editions are much later (the first UK appearance is the Virago Press paperback, 1986). Genuine 1937 firsts in the original dust jacket are genuinely scarce and valuable — jacketed copies are offered by dealers at roughly the printed price–the printed price the jacket is routinely described as "rare in the original," and the great majority of surviving copies
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Lippincott is the true first; UK editions are much later. Genuine 1937 firsts in jacket are very scarce and valuable.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later reprints (notably the 1970s revival editions) carry their own imprints and ISBNs; no contemporaneous book club matches the Lippincott first.
I have a first edition of Their Eyes Were Watching God — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.