# Is "WWII" by James Jones a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of WWII by James Jones (Grosset & Dunlap, 1975) is identified by: First printing of the oversized illustrated hardcover (roughly 12 by 9.25 inches), 272 pages, blue cloth, with wartime art by Mauldin, Baker, Brodie and others assembled by Art Weithas. The true first is the Grosset & Dunlap hardcover of 1975.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the oversized illustrated hardcover (roughly 12 by 9.25 inches), 272 pages, blue cloth, with wartime art by Mauldin, Baker, Brodie and others assembled by Art Weithas
- Jones supplied the text
- Publisher imprint reads Grosset & Dunlap
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Jones |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the oversized illustrated hardcover (roughly 12 by 9.25 inches), 272 pages, blue cloth, with wartime art by Mauldin… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing of the oversized illustrated hardcover (roughly 12 by 9.25 inches), 272 pages, blue cloth, with wartime art by Mauldin, Baker, Brodie and others assembled by Art Weithas. Jones supplied the text.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the Grosset & Dunlap hardcover of 1975. The Ballantine illustrated paperback is a separate later issue (1976), so it should not be presented as co-publisher of the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Ballantine paperback of 1976 is 'first edition thus' and distinct from the Grosset & Dunlap hardcover first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *WWII* by James Jones a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wwii
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.