# Is "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1929) is identified by: Trade first: Scribner's 'A' with 1929 imprint, no disclaimer notice on the copyright page (the disclaimer was added in later printings). The 510-copy signed limited (Scribner's, 1929) precedes/accompanies the trade as the deluxe state and is the apex signed landmark; the trade 'A' first is the open-market true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Trade first: Scribner's 'A' with 1929 imprint, no disclaimer notice on the copyright page (the disclaimer was added in later printings)
- Dust jacket without the 'legal' notice
- A signed/limited issue of 510 copies was printed on rag paper, signed by Hemingway, in slipcase
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernest Hemingway |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Trade first: Scribner's 'A' with 1929 imprint, no disclaimer notice on the copyright page (the disclaimer was added in later printings) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Trade first: Scribner's 'A' with 1929 imprint, no disclaimer notice on the copyright page (the disclaimer was added in later printings). Dust jacket without the 'legal' notice. A signed/limited issue of 510 copies was printed on rag paper, signed by Hemingway, in slipcase.

## Is this the true first?
The 510-copy signed limited (Scribner's, 1929) precedes/accompanies the trade as the deluxe state and is the apex signed landmark; the trade 'A' first is the open-market true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later trade printings add the disclaimer paragraph and lose the 'A'; book-club copies are blind-stamped and lack the seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Farewell to Arms* by Ernest Hemingway a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-farewell-to-arms
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.