# Is "Valley Forge" by MacKinlay Kantor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Valley Forge by MacKinlay Kantor (M. Evans and Company, 1975) is identified by: Title-page reads Valley Forge: A Novel. US M.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Title-page reads Valley Forge: A Novel
- First edition, M. Evans and Company, 1975, about 339 pages
- M. Evans first editions are identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a '1' present in the number line; no later-printing notice
- A novel of the 1777-1778 Continental Army winter encampment, Kantor's last book
- Publisher imprint reads M. Evans and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | MacKinlay Kantor |
| Publisher | M. Evans and Company |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Title-page reads Valley Forge: A Novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Title-page reads Valley Forge: A Novel. First edition, M. Evans and Company, 1975, about 339 pages. M. Evans first editions are identified by 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a '1' present in the number line; no later-printing notice. A novel of the 1777-1778 Continental Army winter encampment, Kantor's last book.

## Is this the true first?
US M. Evans edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings remove the lowest digit from the number line and drop the 'First Edition' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Valley Forge* by MacKinlay Kantor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/valley-forge
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.