# Is "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Crucible by Arthur Miller (The Viking Press, 1953) is identified by: Copyright page states 'Published by the Viking Press in April 1953' with no further printings listed. US Viking 1953 is the true first (precedes the UK Cresset Press 1954).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'Published by the Viking Press in April 1953' with no further printings listed
- Octavo, bound in pin-stripe paper-covered boards over a grey cloth backstrip (nervy vertical red and yellow lines on a pale grey ground), spine lettered in red, top edge stained red
- Dust jacket photograph by Gjon Mili
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Miller |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'Published by the Viking Press in April 1953' with no further printings listed |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'Published by the Viking Press in April 1953' with no further printings listed. Octavo, bound in pin-stripe paper-covered boards over a grey cloth backstrip (nervy vertical red and yellow lines on a pale grey ground), spine lettered in red, top edge stained red. Dust jacket photograph by Gjon Mili.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1953 is the true first (precedes the UK Cresset Press 1954). Signed copies are author-inscribed trade copies.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Viking printings add printing history to the copyright page; the first issue carries only the 'April 1953' statement. No prominent book-club edition is the collecting target.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Crucible* by Arthur Miller a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-crucible
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.