Is My Copy of Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind') a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First book appearance is WITHIN the Knopf collection 'Three of a Kind', NOT as a standalone; the volume gathers three short novels in their first hardcover appearance: 'Career in C Major,' 'The Embezzler,' and 'Double Indemnity.' The Knopf first bears no later-printing statement on the copyright page
• The dust jacket exists in more than one state: an exceedingly scarce first-state jacket carries a note from Alfred A. Knopf on the rear panel regarding compliance with wartime paper conservation, while a later state instead prints a two-paragraph war-bonds appeal from Cain accompanied by an author photograph on the rear panel
• A correct first-state jacket should retain its printed flap price

How Alfred A. Knopf marked a first edition

• c.1933/1934 onward (stated 'First Edition' era — the core rule): Knopf began consistently printing 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page of first printings, or 'FIRST AMERICAN EDITION' when the book had already appeared…

Full Alfred A. Knopf first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Point of confusion: 'Double Indemnity' first appeared serialized in Liberty magazine (1936) and first in book form within the omnibus 'Three of a Kind' (Knopf, 1943). There is no separate standalone first-edition hardcover preceding the omnibus. Within the jacket variants, the panel bearing the Knopf wartime-paper note is the earlier state, ahead of the Cain war-bonds/author-photo panel.P-013751

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later standalone paperback/hardcover printings are not the first book appearance. Seek the 1943 Knopf 'Three of a Kind.'P-013752

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind') a first edition?

A first edition of Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind') by James M. Cain (Alfred A. Knopf) is identified by: First book appearance is WITHIN the Knopf collection 'Three of a Kind' (1943), NOT as a standalone; the volume gathers three short novels in their first hardcover appearance: 'Career in C Major,' 'The Embezzler,' and 'Double Indemnity.' The Knopf first bears no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. Point of confusion: 'Double Indemnity' first appeared serialized in Liberty magazine (1936) and first in book form within the omnibus 'Three of a Kind' (Knopf, 1943).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later standalone paperback/hardcover printings are not the first book appearance. Seek the 1943 Knopf 'Three of a Kind.'

I have a first edition of Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind') — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.