# Is "Death in the Afternoon" by Ernest Hemingway a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway (Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1932) is identified by: First printing has the 'A' and the Scribner seal on the copyright page. True US first; precedes the 1932 UK Jonathan Cape edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the 'A' and the Scribner seal on the copyright page
- Bound in black cloth stamped in gilt; color frontispiece by Juan Gris and numerous black-and-white photographic plates
- Published September 1932 with a first-issue dust jacket carrying the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernest Hemingway |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the 'A' and the Scribner seal on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has the 'A' and the Scribner seal on the copyright page. Bound in black cloth stamped in gilt; color frontispiece by Juan Gris and numerous black-and-white photographic plates. Published September 1932 with a first-issue dust jacket carrying the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the 1932 UK Jonathan Cape edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club of note; later printings lack the 'A' on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Death in the Afternoon* by Ernest Hemingway a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/death-in-the-afternoon
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.