# Is "Trouble in July" by Erskine Caldwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Trouble in July by Erskine Caldwell (Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940) is identified by: First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940. US first edition; UK edition followed (Hutchinson, 1940).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940
- Novel of a Deep South lynching, about 241 pages, in cloth with the original dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Duell, Sloan and Pearce
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Erskine Caldwell |
| Publisher | Duell, Sloan and Pearce |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing, Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1940. Novel of a Deep South lynching, about 241 pages, in cloth with the original dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition; UK edition followed (Hutchinson, 1940).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints exist; the true first is the 1940 Duell, Sloan and Pearce issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Trouble in July* by Erskine Caldwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/trouble-in-july
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.