# Is "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Odin den Ivana Denisovicha)" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Odin den Ivana Denisovicha) by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (First in Novy Mir journal, No. 11, 1962) is identified by: The true first appearance is in the Soviet literary journal Novy Mir, No. The Russian Novy Mir November 1962 journal issue is the true first appearance; the 1963 Sovetsky Pisatel printing is the first book edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first appearance is in the Soviet literary journal Novy Mir, No
- 11, November 1962 (issue dated November 1962, released around November 20)
- The work appeared there before any separate book form; collectors prize that journal issue in its original printed wrappers
- The first separate book edition followed from Sovetsky Pisatel in 1963
- Publisher imprint reads First in Novy Mir journal, No. 11
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn |
| Publisher | First in Novy Mir journal, No. 11 |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first appearance is in the Soviet literary journal Novy Mir, No |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first appearance is in the Soviet literary journal Novy Mir, No. 11, November 1962 (issue dated November 1962, released around November 20). The work appeared there before any separate book form; collectors prize that journal issue in its original printed wrappers. The first separate book edition followed from Sovetsky Pisatel in 1963.

## Is this the true first?
The Russian Novy Mir November 1962 journal issue is the true first appearance; the 1963 Sovetsky Pisatel printing is the first book edition. The several 1963 English translations (US Praeger and Dutton, UK Gollancz) are competing English firsts thus, appearing near-simultaneously and well after the Russian text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Western reprints and the 1963 English translations are not the world first. The cornerstone is the Novy Mir journal issue, which is a periodical in wrappers rather than a hardcover. Later Soviet book printings note larger print runs in the colophon.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Odin den Ivana Denisovicha)* by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/one-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich-odin-den-ivana-deniso
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.