# Is "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" by Horace McCoy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy (Simon and Schuster, 1935) is identified by: First printings carry no printing statement: before 1952 Simon and Schuster did not mark first editions but did mark later printings, so the copyright page of a first printing shows no additional-printing notice. The Simon and Schuster (New York, 1935) edition is the true first — McCoy's first book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printings carry no printing statement: before 1952 Simon and Schuster did not mark first editions but did mark later printings, so the copyright page of a first printing shows no additional-printing notice
- The book is bound in oatmeal (creme) cloth stamped in black and red, with the spine title printed in black over red and the top edge stained red
- The first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the back flap rather than the front — a distinctive point for this title
- Publisher imprint reads Simon and Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Horace McCoy |
| Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printings carry no printing statement: before 1952 Simon and Schuster did not mark first editions but did mark later printings, so… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printings carry no printing statement: before 1952 Simon and Schuster did not mark first editions but did mark later printings, so the copyright page of a first printing shows no additional-printing notice. The book is bound in oatmeal (creme) cloth stamped in black and red, with the spine title printed in black over red and the top edge stained red. The first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the back flap rather than the front — a distinctive point for this title.

## Is this the true first?
The Simon and Schuster (New York, 1935) edition is the true first — McCoy's first book. Arthur Barker Ltd. issued the first UK edition in London the same year, bound in khaki buckram stamped in red; it is cataloged and collected separately as the UK first and is uniformly treated as following the American edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented. Later Simon and Schuster printings are marked on the copyright page, so any printing statement identifies a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *They Shoot Horses, Don't They?* by Horace McCoy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/they-shoot-horses-dont-they
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.