The points of issue
First printing of the story collection, a cheaply produced postwar volume in navy cloth lettered in silver with a typographic dust jacket. Includes 'The Basement Room.'
Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first; the first US edition (Viking) followed in 1949. Contents differ from the later collection, with two stories ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') dropped afterward.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later revised and expanded as Twenty-One Stories (Heinemann, 1955).
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Nineteen Stories a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing of the story collection, a cheaply produced postwar volume in navy cloth lettered in silver with a typographic dust jacket. Includes 'The Basement Room.'
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. UK Heinemann is the true first; the first US edition (Viking) followed in 1949. Contents differ from the later collection, with two stories ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') dropped afterward.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later revised and expanded as Twenty-One Stories (Heinemann, 1955).
I have a first edition of Nineteen Stories — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.