# Is "Suite Française" by Irène Némirovsky a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky (Éditions Denoël, Paris, 2004) is identified by: The true first is the Denoël, Paris edition of 2004 (ISBN 2-207-25645-6 / 9782207256459), issued posthumously more than sixty years after composition from the notebooks preserved by the author's daughter Denise Epstein, and awarded the Prix Renaudot for 2004 — the first time that prize was given posthumously. Both the French original and the first English are collected.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the Denoël, Paris edition of 2004 (ISBN 2-207-25645-6 / 9782207256459), issued posthumously more than sixty years after composition from the notebooks preserved by the author's daughter Denise Epstein, and awarded the Prix Renaudot for 2004 — the first time that prize was given posthumously
- As is standard for a French trade first, it appeared in wrappers (broché) rather than cloth and carries no printer's number line; identification rests on the Denoël imprint, the 2004 date, and the dépôt légal / achevé d'imprimer statement in the back matter rather than on any edition statement
- On the Knopf first American edition (New York, 2006), the copyright page carries the words FIRST EDITION; Knopf's long-standing practice is that printings after the first are stated on the copyright page, and copies exist stating 'First Edition' together with a second-printing-before-publication note — that note disqualifies a copy as a first printing
- The number line on the Chatto & Windus first UK hardcover could not be corroborated from two independent sources and is therefore not asserted here
- Publisher imprint reads Éditions Denoël, Paris
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Irène Némirovsky |
| Publisher | Éditions Denoël, Paris |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the Denoël, Paris edition of 2004 (ISBN 2-207-25645-6 / 9782207256459), issued posthumously more than sixty years after… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the Denoël, Paris edition of 2004 (ISBN 2-207-25645-6 / 9782207256459), issued posthumously more than sixty years after composition from the notebooks preserved by the author's daughter Denise Epstein, and awarded the Prix Renaudot for 2004 — the first time that prize was given posthumously. As is standard for a French trade first, it appeared in wrappers (broché) rather than cloth and carries no printer's number line; identification rests on the Denoël imprint, the 2004 date, and the dépôt légal / achevé d'imprimer statement in the back matter rather than on any edition statement. On the Knopf first American edition (New York, 2006), the copyright page carries the words FIRST EDITION; Knopf's long-standing practice is that printings after the first are stated on the copyright page, and copies exist stating 'First Edition' together with a second-printing-before-publication note — that note disqualifies a copy as a first printing. The number line on the Chatto & Windus first UK hardcover could not be corroborated from two independent sources and is therefore not asserted here.

## Is this the true first?
Both the French original and the first English are collected. The true first is Denoël, Paris, 2004 (French). In English, Sandra Smith's translation appeared first from Chatto & Windus, London (ISBN 9780701178963), published 2 March 2006, preceding Alfred A. Knopf, New York (ISBN 9781400044733), published 11 April 2006 — so the UK edition holds English-language precedence by roughly six weeks. Note a documented error in circulation: the English Wikipedia article dates the Chatto & Windus translation to 2004, which conflicts with the publisher's own 2006 hardcover and with dealer records; treat 2006 as correct. The later Vintage Classics and Everyman's Library issues are 'first thus' reprints only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Knopf's Borzoi device appears as a publisher's mark on the binding and should not be mistaken for a book-club blind stamp or deboss. Knopf reprints made ahead of publication day are stated on the copyright page (the historical formula being 'First and second printings before publication'); a dealer-catalogued copy is recorded reading 'First Edition' with a second-printing-before-publication statement, which is the principal trap on the US issue. Vintage and Everyman's Library printings are later reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Suite Française* by Irène Némirovsky a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/suite-fran-aise
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.