# Is "When Time Was Born" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of When Time Was Born by James T. Farrell (The Smith / Horizon Press, 1966) is identified by: First edition, a prose-poem rendering of the opening chapters of Genesis, illustrated by Stephen Dwoskin. US first (New York, 1966).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, a prose-poem rendering of the opening chapters of Genesis, illustrated by Stephen Dwoskin
- Issued by The Smith in arrangement with Horizon Press as a limited edition of 500 copies (plus a trade issue)
- Publisher imprint reads The Smith / Horizon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Smith / Horizon Press |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, a prose-poem rendering of the opening chapters of Genesis, illustrated by Stephen Dwoskin |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, a prose-poem rendering of the opening chapters of Genesis, illustrated by Stephen Dwoskin. Issued by The Smith in arrangement with Horizon Press as a limited edition of 500 copies (plus a trade issue).

## Is this the true first?
US first (New York, 1966).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No later printings of consequence; identify the first by the 1966 The Smith / Horizon Press imprint and the limited-edition limitation statement of 500 copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *When Time Was Born* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/when-time-was-born
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.