The points of issue
First printing of the revised text; copyright page carries Library of Congress card number 66-23330 and no later-printing statement. Black cloth with blind-stamped 'VN' oval on the front cover, gilt spine lettering, and endpapers reproducing Nabokov's butterfly drawing and a map of the family lands. First-issue jacket carries the printed price.
Is this the true first?
This is 'first thus' for the revised and expanded definitive text. The earliest form of the autobiography appeared in 1951, published in the US by Harper as 'Conclusive Evidence' and in the UK by Victor Gollancz as 'Speak, Memory.' The 1966 Putnam revision precedes the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies are blind-stamped and carry no price on the jacket.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing of the revised text; copyright page carries Library of Congress card number 66-23330 and no later-printing statement. Black cloth with blind-stamped 'VN' oval on the front cover, gilt spine lettering, and endpapers reproducing Nabokov's butterfly drawing and a map of the family lands. First-issue jacket carries the printed price.
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. This is 'first thus' for the revised and expanded definitive text. The earliest form of the autobiography appeared in 1951, published in the US by Harper as 'Conclusive Evidence' and in the UK by Victor Gollancz as 'Speak, Memory.' The 1966 Putnam revision precedes the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson editi
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book-club copies are blind-stamped and carry no price on the jacket.
I have a first edition of Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited — 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.