# Is "The Dream Life of Balso Snell" by Nathanael West a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dream Life of Balso Snell by Nathanael West (Contact Editions, 1931) is identified by: True first is Contact Editions (Robert McAlmon's imprint; place given as Paris, and Paris–New York on the title leaf), 1931 — West's first book and its only printing in his lifetime. The Paris/New York Contact Editions issue (1931) is the sole true first; there is no separate UK edition and no other printing during West's lifetime.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is Contact Editions (Robert McAlmon's imprint; place given as Paris, and Paris–New York on the title leaf), 1931 — West's first book and its only printing in his lifetime
- Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies; issued in printed paper wrappers with a blue-and-black geometric design and title in black, octavo, ~95 pp, originally in a glassine wrapper
- Confirm by the numbered limitation leaf (recorded examples include #344, #375, #388)
- Publisher imprint reads Contact Editions
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nathanael West |
| Publisher | Contact Editions |
| Year | 1931 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is Contact Editions (Robert McAlmon's imprint; place given as Paris, and Paris–New York on the title leaf), 1931 — West's first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is Contact Editions (Robert McAlmon's imprint; place given as Paris, and Paris–New York on the title leaf), 1931 — West's first book and its only printing in his lifetime. Limited to 500 hand-numbered copies; issued in printed paper wrappers with a blue-and-black geometric design and title in black, octavo, ~95 pp, originally in a glassine wrapper. Confirm by the numbered limitation leaf (recorded examples include #344, #375, #388).

## Is this the true first?
The Paris/New York Contact Editions issue (1931) is the sole true first; there is no separate UK edition and no other printing during West's lifetime. The joint Paris–New York imprint reflects Contact Editions' arrangement; there is no dust jacket beyond the original glassine.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None — the 500-copy numbered limitation was the only lifetime printing of this setting; there is no book-club or contemporary trade reissue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dream Life of Balso Snell* by Nathanael West a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dream-life-of-balso-snell
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.