# Is "Years of Grace" by Margaret Ayer Barnes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes (Houghton Mifflin Company, 1930) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin first printing: title page dated 1930 with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US Houghton Mifflin 1930 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin first printing: title page dated 1930 with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- The absence of the 1930 date on the title page disqualifies a copy as a first printing
- Cloth binding in a first-issue jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Margaret Ayer Barnes |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin Company |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin first printing: title page dated 1930 with no later-printing statement on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin first printing: title page dated 1930 with no later-printing statement on the copyright page. The absence of the 1930 date on the title page disqualifies a copy as a first printing. Cloth binding in a first-issue jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin 1930 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add printing statements; reprints are clearly marked.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Years of Grace* by Margaret Ayer Barnes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/years-of-grace
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.