# Is "Malone Dies (Malone meurt)" by Samuel Beckett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Malone Dies (Malone meurt) by Samuel Beckett (Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1951) is identified by: Original-language first: Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1951 — the second volume of the trilogy, published after 'Molloy' (1951) and before 'L'Innommable' (1953). Original language is French: Minuit, Paris, 1951 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Original-language first: Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1951 — the second volume of the trilogy, published after 'Molloy'
- and before 'L'Innommable'
- Issued in printed wrappers with the lettering and Minuit device in blue and black and a photograph of the author on the rear wrapper; numbered copies exist
- First edition in English: Grove Press, New York, 1956, translated by Beckett himself — the hardbound issue was limited to 500 copies in oatmeal boards, published simultaneously with the Evergreen Original paperback (orange, black and white wrappers)
- Publisher imprint reads Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel Beckett |
| Publisher | Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Original-language first: Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1951 — the second volume of the trilogy, published after 'Molloy' |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Original-language first: Les Éditions de Minuit, Paris, 1951 — the second volume of the trilogy, published after 'Molloy' (1951) and before 'L'Innommable' (1953). Issued in printed wrappers with the lettering and Minuit device in blue and black and a photograph of the author on the rear wrapper; numbered copies exist. First edition in English: Grove Press, New York, 1956, translated by Beckett himself — the hardbound issue was limited to 500 copies in oatmeal boards, published simultaneously with the Evergreen Original paperback (orange, black and white wrappers).

## Is this the true first?
Original language is French: Minuit, Paris, 1951 is the true first. The first English-language edition is Grove Press (New York), 1956, which precedes any British edition — John Calder (London) did not publish 'Malone Dies' until 1958. Both the French first and the Grove first-in-English are separately collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue documented. The Grove hardback (500 copies, oatmeal boards) and its simultaneous Evergreen Original paperback are distinct issues; the Calder (London, 1958) and the later collected trilogy ('Three Novels,' Grove, 1959) are not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Malone Dies (Malone meurt)* by Samuel Beckett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/malone-dies-malone-meurt
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.