# Is "Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets" by James T. Farrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets by James T. Farrell (The Vanguard Press, 1932) is identified by: First printing in brown woven cloth with pale orange paper labels, xii plus 308 pages. US first edition; first volume of the Studs Lonigan trilogy.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in brown woven cloth with pale orange paper labels, xii plus 308 pages
- Farrell's first novel; reportedly only about 533 copies sold, making it scarce
- No later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads The Vanguard Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James T. Farrell |
| Publisher | The Vanguard Press |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in brown woven cloth with pale orange paper labels, xii plus 308 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing in brown woven cloth with pale orange paper labels, xii plus 308 pages. Farrell's first novel; reportedly only about 533 copies sold, making it scarce. No later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition; first volume of the Studs Lonigan trilogy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and the collected omnibus follow; reprints are stated on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Young Lonigan: A Boyhood in Chicago Streets* by James T. Farrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/young-lonigan-a-boyhood-in-chicago-streets
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.