The points of issue
First English edition: translated by Max Hayward and Manya Harari, with 'The Poems of Yurii Zhivago' rendered by Bernard Guilbert Guerney. The UK Collins & Harvill edition (London, 1958) is the one usually cited as the first English: octavo, publisher's red cloth with gilt and black spine lettering, 510 pages including the poems at the rear, dust jacket designed by John Woodcock priced 21 shillings net. The US Pantheon edition appeared the same year; identify a Pantheon first printing by a copyright page that carries no later-printing statement, as the title saw many rapid impressions.
Is this the true first?
The world first is the Italian Feltrinelli edition (Milan, November 1957). A Russian-language edition (Feltrinelli, with Mouton involvement) and a French edition also preceded the English. For the first English, the UK Collins & Harvill 1958 edition is the one customarily cited as the first English-language printing; the US Pantheon 1958 edition followed closely the same year.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Numerous 1958 impressions exist (a twentieth printing and beyond are recorded), so any copyright-page printing statement other than the first marks a reprint. US book-club issues lack the dust-jacket price and may carry a blind-stamp to the rear board.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Doctor Zhivago a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First English edition: translated by Max Hayward and Manya Harari, with 'The Poems of Yurii Zhivago' rendered by Bernard Guilbert Guerney. The UK Collins & Harvill edition (London, 1958) is the one usually cited as the first English: octavo, publisher's red cloth with gilt and black spine lettering, 510 pages including the poems at the rear, dust jacket designed by John Woodcock priced 21 shillings net. The US Pantheon edition appeared the same year; identify a Pantheon first printing by a copyright page that carries no later-printing statement, as the titl
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The world first is the Italian Feltrinelli edition (Milan, November 1957). A Russian-language edition (Feltrinelli, with Mouton involvement) and a French edition also preceded the English. For the first English, the UK Collins & Harvill 1958 edition is the one customarily cited as the first English-
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Numerous 1958 impressions exist (a twentieth printing and beyond are recorded), so any copyright-page printing statement other than the first marks a reprint. US book-club issues lack the dust-jacket price and may carry a blind-stamp to the rear board.
I have a first edition of Doctor Zhivago — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.