# Is "Pnin" by Vladimir Nabokov a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov (Doubleday & Company, 1957) is identified by: First printing has 'First Edition' stated at the foot of the copyright page, and the title page carries '1957' after the Garden City, New York publisher location. US Doubleday (published March 1957) is the true first; the UK William Heinemann edition followed later the same year (September/October 1957).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has 'First Edition' stated at the foot of the copyright page, and the title page carries '1957' after the Garden City, New York publisher location
- The second printing (issued only about two weeks later) drops the '1957' from the title page
- Bound in black boards lettered on the spine; first-issue jacket carries the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vladimir Nabokov |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has 'First Edition' stated at the foot of the copyright page, and the title page carries '1957' after the Garden City, New… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has 'First Edition' stated at the foot of the copyright page, and the title page carries '1957' after the Garden City, New York publisher location. The second printing (issued only about two weeks later) drops the '1957' from the title page. Bound in black boards lettered on the spine; first-issue jacket carries the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday (published March 1957) is the true first; the UK William Heinemann edition followed later the same year (September/October 1957).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Doubleday book-club copies use the same plates on cheaper paper, are blind-stamped on the rear board, and carry no price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pnin* by Vladimir Nabokov a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pnin
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.