First Edition Points and Criteria for Raintree County

Year Published: 1948
Author Last Name: Lockridge
Author First Name: Ross
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Original Price: $3.95
Pages: 1066

1948 is stated on the title page. Binding is green cloth with no book-of-the-month club dot on lower rear of board (near the the spine). The first issue dust jacket has a photo of the author on the back panel over a three paragraph biography where the third paragraph states that the author "has four children". This paragraph was removed after the author's death, but might have been restored in a facsimile edition decades later. The front flap of the first issue jacket has a price on the top, and there is no mention anywhere on the jacket that this book was a Book-of-the-Month Club selection.

All first printings seem to have the question "Wasn't Jesus God's?" on line 3 of page 152. We therefore do not consider it to be a first edition point. The question was removed shortly after the first printing, and was eventually restored decades later.

We have seen editions in tan bindings, but we have never observed one with 1948 on the title page, and this suggests that they are not first printings. Some tan binding books lack the book club dot, and some contain the "Wasn't Jesus God's?" question on page 152. These are probably early printings of the first edition. Their existence strengthens our believe that all first printings likely contain the "Wasn't Jesus God's?" question.

The background story of Raintree County and the Lockridge family history can be found at the Raintree County Home Page.



Picture of the 1948 first edition dust jacket for Raintree County.


Picture of the first edition copyright page for Raintree County.


Picture of dust jacket where original $3.95 price is found for Raintree County.


Picture of the back dust jacket for the first edition of Raintree County.


Picture of the first edition Houghton Mifflin Company boards for Raintree County.


Picture of the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of Raintree County.


Picture of the first edition title page for Raintree County.


All first printings seem to have the question "Wasn't Jesus God's?" on line 3 of page 152. The question was removed shortly after the first printing.


The book on the left is a first edition. The biography on the back dust jacket containts a third paragraph that refers to the author as having four children. The book on the right is a from a later issue book club edition. Notice that the third paragraph was removed. This third paragraph has been found on some very early printings, early book club editions, and on recent facsimile reprints as well - so it alone should not be used to identify a first printing.


This photo shows the two binding variants. The first printings have always been seen in the green binding. Early printings have been observed in both green and tan bindings. Book club editions have likewise been seen with both bindings.