# Is "This Very Earth" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of This Very Earth by Erskine Caldwell (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1948) is identified by: First edition, first printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1948; the copyright page states 'First Edition.' Caldwell's tenth novel, bound in red cloth and running 254 pages, issued in a printed dust jacket. US edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1948; the copyright page states 'First Edition.' Caldwell's tenth novel, bound in red cloth and running 254 pages, issued in a printed dust jacket
- The printed jacket price should be present on the front flap of a first-issue jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Duell, Sloan and Pearce
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Duell, Sloan and Pearce |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1948; the copyright page states 'First Edition.' Caldwell's tenth novel… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, New York, 1948; the copyright page states 'First Edition.' Caldwell's tenth novel, bound in red cloth and running 254 pages, issued in a printed dust jacket. The printed jacket price should be present on the front flap of a first-issue jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US edition is the true first. A UK edition followed from Falcon Press in 1949.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 'First Edition' statement; confirm no added printing line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *This Very Earth* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/this-very-earth
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.