# Is "In Dubious Battle" by John Steinbeck a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck (Covici-Friede, New York, 1936) is identified by: Two simultaneous first-edition formats. True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two simultaneous first-edition formats
- The deluxe issue is a signed limited of 99 numbered copies bound in black cloth over grey buckram, gilt spine lettering, top edge stained, in a black paper-covered slipcase with a paper spine label
- The trade issue is bound in orange/tangerine cloth printed in black and red, top edge stained red, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page
- Goldstone & Payne A5a (limited) and A5b (trade)
- Publisher imprint reads Covici-Friede, New York
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Steinbeck |
| Publisher | Covici-Friede, New York |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two simultaneous first-edition formats |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Two simultaneous first-edition formats. The deluxe issue is a signed limited of 99 numbered copies bound in black cloth over grey buckram, gilt spine lettering, top edge stained, in a black paper-covered slipcase with a paper spine label. The trade issue is bound in orange/tangerine cloth printed in black and red, top edge stained red, with no statement of later printing on the copyright page. Goldstone & Payne A5a (limited) and A5b (trade).

## Is this the true first?
True US first; precedes the UK Heinemann edition. The 99-copy signed, numbered limited is the precedence/deluxe first and was issued alongside the trade printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club. Later trade printings carry a printing statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Dubious Battle* by John Steinbeck a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-dubious-battle
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.