# Is "Molloy" by Samuel Beckett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Molloy by Samuel Beckett (Olympia Press, 1955) is identified by: The French original was Les Éditions de Minuit (Paris) 1951. True first is the French Minuit 1951.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The French original was Les Éditions de Minuit (Paris) 1951
- The first English translation (by Beckett and Patrick Bowles) was published by Olympia Press, Paris, 1955, in the Merlin/Collection Merlin series, preceding the Grove Press New York edition (also 1955)
- Publisher imprint reads Olympia Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Samuel Beckett |
| Publisher | Olympia Press |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The French original was Les Éditions de Minuit (Paris) 1951 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The French original was Les Éditions de Minuit (Paris) 1951. The first English translation (by Beckett and Patrick Bowles) was published by Olympia Press, Paris, 1955, in the Merlin/Collection Merlin series, preceding the Grove Press New York edition (also 1955).

## Is this the true first?
True first is the French Minuit 1951. First in English is the Olympia Press (Paris) 1955 edition, which precedes Grove Press New York 1955. The Olympia issue is the scarce English true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grove and later printings distinguished by imprint and date; the green Olympia 'Merlin' wrappers identify the Paris English first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Molloy* by Samuel Beckett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/molloy
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.