# Is "The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914" by Barbara W. Tuchman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914 by Barbara W. Tuchman (Macmillan, 1966) is identified by: The Macmillan Company, New York, first printing, 1966; 528 pages. US true first (The Macmillan Company, 1966), following the success of The Guns of August.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Macmillan Company, New York, first printing, 1966
- 528 pages. 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement
- First-state binding is purple cloth, issued under a priced pictorial first-state dust jacket that retains its printed price when unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara W. Tuchman |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Macmillan Company, New York, first printing, 1966 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Macmillan Company, New York, first printing, 1966; 528 pages. 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. First-state binding is purple cloth, issued under a priced pictorial first-state dust jacket that retains its printed price when unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
US true first (The Macmillan Company, 1966), following the success of The Guns of August.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions carry the club designation on the front jacket flap, a small blind-stamp (a square dot) to the lower rear board, and no printed price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Proud Tower: A Portrait of the World Before the War, 1890-1914* by Barbara W. Tuchman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-proud-tower-a-portrait-of-the-world-before-the-war-1890
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.