# Is "Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited" by Vladimir Nabokov a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited by Vladimir Nabokov (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1966) is identified by: First printing of the revised text; copyright page carries Library of Congress card number 66-23330 and no later-printing statement. This is 'first thus' for the revised and expanded definitive text.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vladimir Nabokov |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the revised text; copyright page carries Library of Congress card number 66-23330 and no later-printing statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Speak, Memory: An Autobiography Revisited* by Vladimir Nabokov a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/speak-memory-an-autobiography-revisited
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.