# Is "A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century" by Barbara W. Tuchman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman (Alfred A. Knopf, 1978) is identified by: Knopf, New York, 1978. US Knopf (New York) true first trade edition, 1978.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978
- Dealers of confirmed firsts consistently record the copyright-page wording as 'First Trade Edition' beneath the Borzoi colophon (distinguishing the trade issue from the separately produced leather limited edition), with no later-printing statement
- Bound in black cloth over boards, lettered in gilt on the front board and spine, with a deckle (rough) fore-edge and illustrated endpapers
- The first-state dust jacket is a color pictorial jacket and should retain its printed price
- Collates roughly xx, 677 pages with color and black-and-white plates
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara W. Tuchman |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1978. Dealers of confirmed firsts consistently record the copyright-page wording as 'First Trade Edition' beneath the Borzoi colophon (distinguishing the trade issue from the separately produced leather limited edition), with no later-printing statement. Bound in black cloth over boards, lettered in gilt on the front board and spine, with a deckle (rough) fore-edge and illustrated endpapers. The first-state dust jacket is a color pictorial jacket and should retain its printed price. Collates roughly xx, 677 pages with color and black-and-white plates.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (New York) true first trade edition, 1978. The Franklin Library also issued a full-leather limited edition (First Edition Society) in 1978 by special arrangement with Knopf, with gilt-decorated covers, moire endpapers, all-gilt edges and a facsimile-signed introductory leaf; it is a separate deluxe issue rather than the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club issue lacks the stated first line and the jacket price, is typically a smaller/lighter volume, and commonly shows a blind-stamp (dot or square) on the rear board; the Franklin Library leather issue is a distinct limited edition, not a book-club printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century* by Barbara W. Tuchman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-distant-mirror-the-calamitous-14th-century
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.