# Is "To the Bright and Shining Sun" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of To the Bright and Shining Sun by James Lee Burke (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970) is identified by: Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1970. US Scribner's is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1970
- First printing is identified by the capital letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Scribner house first-printing indicator of this era, together with the Scribner's seal
- Issued in publisher's cloth boards
- The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed retail price on the front flap (present, not clipped) and, as an early Scribner's title, is scarce in the jacket; the flap price should be intact rather than replaced
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1970 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1970. First printing is identified by the capital letter 'A' on the copyright page, the Scribner house first-printing indicator of this era, together with the Scribner's seal. Issued in publisher's cloth boards. The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed retail price on the front flap (present, not clipped) and, as an early Scribner's title, is scarce in the jacket; the flap price should be intact rather than replaced.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's is the true first. Burke's second book; a notably scarce early-career title, especially in an unclipped first-state jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition affecting the true first; identification rests on the Scribner's 'A' on the copyright page and the original priced first-issue jacket rather than on any later reprint or club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *To the Bright and Shining Sun* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/to-the-bright-and-shining-sun
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.