# Is "Valedictory" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Valedictory by MacKinlay Kantor (Coward-McCann, 1939) is identified by: First printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- A short work illustrated by Amos Sewell, the story told through the eyes of a retiring school janitor on graduation evening
- Publisher imprint reads Coward-McCann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | Coward-McCann |
| Year | 1939 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page, with no later-printing statement on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing in publisher's cloth bearing the Coward-McCann imprint on the title page, with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. A short work illustrated by Amos Sewell, the story told through the eyes of a retiring school janitor on graduation evening.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints exist; only the 1939 Coward-McCann printing is the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Valedictory* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/valedictory
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.