The points of issue
First printing has the words First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code H-P (H equals August, P equals the year 1940). Posthumous novel; first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price.
Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition (1947). The H-P code plus the First Edition statement is the first-printing identifier.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club issue for the first. Later printings carry a different code-letter pair on the copyright page and lack the First Edition statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of You Can't Go Home Again a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing has the words First Edition on the copyright page together with the Harper month-year letter code H-P (H equals August, P equals the year 1940). Posthumous novel; first-issue dust jacket carries the printed price.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition (1947). The H-P code plus the First Edition statement is the first-printing identifier.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club issue for the first. Later printings carry a different code-letter pair on the copyright page and lack the First Edition statement.
I have a first edition of You Can't Go Home Again — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.