# Is "Little Caesar" by W. R. Burnett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Little Caesar by W. R. Burnett (Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press, 1929) is identified by: True first: Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press, New York, 1929 — the author's first book — in navy blue cloth lettered in yellow on spine and front cover with the publisher's device stamped in blind on the front board; pagination [viii], [2], 3-308, [4] pp, top edge trimmed and other edges uncut. The Dial Press (New York) 1929 edition is the true first of the founding gangster novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first: Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press, New York, 1929 — the author's first book — in navy blue cloth lettered in yellow on spine and front cover with the publisher's device stamped in blind on the front board; pagination [viii], [2], 3-308, [4] pp, top edge trimmed and other edges uncut
- The dust jacket is by Irving Politzer, with the price present at the flap on first-issue jackets; no printing statement or copyright-page points are documented — identification rests on the Lincoln MacVeagh/Dial imprint, the binding, and the Politzer jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. R. Burnett |
| Publisher | Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first: Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press, New York, 1929 — the author's first book — in navy blue cloth lettered in yellow on spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first: Lincoln MacVeagh / The Dial Press, New York, 1929 — the author's first book — in navy blue cloth lettered in yellow on spine and front cover with the publisher's device stamped in blind on the front board; pagination [viii], [2], 3-308, [4] pp, top edge trimmed and other edges uncut. The dust jacket is by Irving Politzer, with the price present at the flap on first-issue jackets; no printing statement or copyright-page points are documented — identification rests on the Lincoln MacVeagh/Dial imprint, the binding, and the Politzer jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The Dial Press (New York) 1929 edition is the true first of the founding gangster novel. Jonathan Cape (London) issued the first British edition, also 1929, in red cloth with gilt-stamped spine, the publisher's device in blind on the rear panel, and a glossary (pp. 285-288); both editions are collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Literary Guild issued a contemporary book-club printing shortly after publication that is frequently confused with the first — the first edition is scarcer than it appears. A. L. Burt issued a photoplay reprint in 1931 with a frontispiece and two black-and-white film stills; both are later issues, not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Little Caesar* by W. R. Burnett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/little-caesar
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.