# Is "Chicago: City on the Make" by Nelson Algren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren (Doubleday & Company, 1951) is identified by: First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention). US first edition (Doubleday, 1951).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention)
- Slim prose-poem essay in grey paper-covered boards with black cloth backstrip, titles stamped in silver on the spine, grey top stain; dust jacket priced 1.50
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nelson Algren |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention). Slim prose-poem essay in grey paper-covered boards with black cloth backstrip, titles stamped in silver on the spine, grey top stain; dust jacket priced 1.50.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Doubleday, 1951).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later editions from other publishers, including the University of Chicago Press, are reprints; the Doubleday first printing carries the stated First Edition on the copyright page, removed on later printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Chicago: City on the Make* by Nelson Algren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/chicago-city-on-the-make
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.