Is My Copy of The Sound and the Fury a First Edition? How to Identify

A first edition of William Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury is one of the cornerstone works of American literary modernism and one of the most valuable American first editions from the interwar period. Published in 1929 by a new and short-lived publishing house, the first printing was small, and surviving copies in collectible condition are genuinely scarce.

The Quick Answer

The first edition was published on October 7, 1929 by Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith (commonly written as “Cape & Smith”) in New York. The first printing was approximately 1,789 copies. Identifying a true first requires careful attention to publisher, binding, and copyright page details.

Step-by-Step Identification

Step 1: Publisher Verification

The title page must read Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, Inc., New York. This publishing partnership was new in 1929 (Harrison Smith had been an editor at Harcourt, Brace) and did not last long — Cape & Smith dissolved within a few years. The short life of the publishing house is itself a contributing factor to scarcity.

Step 2: Copyright Page

The copyright page should include:

• “Copyright, 1929, by William Faulkner”
• “First Published, 1929”
• No mention of additional printings

There should be no “Second Printing” or similar statement.

Step 3: Binding

The first edition binding:

• Black and white patterned paper-covered boards with a white cloth spine (or white paper over boards with the spine treatment varying)
• The binding pattern and colors are distinctive — consult reference images from established Faulkner bibliographies (particularly Joseph Blotner’s work and Linton Massey’s Man Working)

Step 4: Dust Jacket

The first edition dust jacket:

• Features a design in black, white, and red
• The design incorporates a Faulkner portrait or illustration related to the novel
• The jacket is extremely rare — most surviving first editions lack it
• A copy with the original jacket commands a dramatic premium

What Is My Copy Worth?

First Edition, First Printing

With approximately 1,789 copies printed, The Sound and the Fury is genuinely scarce for a canonical American novel:

The jacket multiplier is extreme — perhaps 10–15x — reflecting the tiny number of surviving jacketed copies.

Signed Copies

Faulkner (1897–1962) signed books throughout his career, but not as prolifically as some contemporaries. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1949, which elevated institutional and collector demand. Signed copies of The Sound and the Fury are rare — the novel was published before Faulkner was famous, and few copies were signed in the early years.

The Faulkner Collecting Hierarchy

Faulkner published nineteen novels, and the collecting hierarchy reflects both literary significance and scarcity:

The Sound and the Fury sits at the top both because of its supreme literary importance and its small first printing. Soldier’s Pay (1926), Faulkner’s debut, is the second most sought-after for completist collectors.

The Multicolored Ink Experiment

One of the most fascinating aspects of The Sound and the Fury’s history is Faulkner’s original vision for the Benjy section. He wanted the text printed in multiple colors of ink — different colors to represent different time periods in Benjy’s fractured consciousness. This was economically impossible for Cape & Smith’s small operation. The idea was not realized until 2012, when the Folio Society published a limited edition with the multicolored text as Faulkner had envisioned it.

The 2012 Folio Society edition is collectible in its own right ($200–$600), but it is not the 1929 first edition.

The October 1929 Context

The Sound and the Fury was published on October 7, 1929 — 22 days before the Wall Street Crash that triggered the Great Depression. The timing could not have been worse for book sales. The economic catastrophe that followed suppressed sales of literary fiction for years, and Cape & Smith’s already precarious finances were further stressed.

This historical context explains both the small first printing and the book’s initial commercial failure. Faulkner would not achieve widespread commercial success until Sanctuary (1931), which he somewhat cynically described as written deliberately to make money.

Common Confusions

Random House Editions

After Cape & Smith dissolved, Faulkner’s subsequent publisher was Random House, which reissued The Sound and the Fury multiple times. These Random House editions, while some are attractive and collectible, are not the first edition.

The Modern Library Edition

The Modern Library issued The Sound and the Fury with an author’s introduction that Faulkner wrote. This introduction does not appear in the 1929 first edition. The Modern Library edition is collectible ($100–$500) but is not the first.

Vintage International and Other Paperbacks

Modern trade paperback editions are plentiful and have no significant collecting value.

Practical Authentication

For any copy believed to be a first edition:

1. Cape & Smith imprint — non-negotiable
2. 1929 date — verify against copyright page
3. Binding examination — original patterned boards with white spine
4. First printing statement — no second printing indicated
5. Collation — against Linton Massey’s bibliography or the BAL entry
6. Jacket authentication — if present, the jacket alone may be worth $50,000+; verify carefully

Consult ABAA/ILAB members specializing in twentieth-century American literature, or the Faulkner specialists at major auction houses.