# Is "Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind')" by James M. Cain a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind') by James M. Cain (Alfred A. Knopf, 1943) 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. 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).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James M. Cain |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First book appearance is WITHIN the Knopf collection 'Three of a Kind' |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
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. 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.

## 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.

## 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.'

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Double Indemnity (in 'Three of a Kind')* by James M. Cain a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/double-indemnity-in-three-of-a-kind
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.