# Is "The Fall" by Albert Camus a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fall by Albert Camus (Editions Gallimard, Paris, 1956) is identified by: French true first: 'La Chute,' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 1956, in the standard cream printed wrappers of Gallimard's 'Blanche' series, identified by the edition/printing (achevé d'imprimer) statement of the first mille; in Gallimard's usual hierarchy a small limited issue on special paper (grand papier) precedes the trade wrappered issue. The original-language French first (Gallimard, 1956) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- French true first: 'La Chute,' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 1956, in the standard cream printed wrappers of Gallimard's 'Blanche' series, identified by the edition/printing (achevé d'imprimer) statement of the first mille; in Gallimard's usual hierarchy a small limited issue on special paper (grand papier) precedes the trade wrappered issue
- The English translation throughout is by Justin O'Brien
- Confirm the achevé d'imprimer/print run to separate the first issue from later Gallimard printings
- Publisher imprint reads Editions Gallimard, Paris
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Albert Camus |
| Publisher | Editions Gallimard, Paris |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | French true first: 'La Chute,' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 1956, in the standard cream printed wrappers of Gallimard's 'Blanche' series… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
French true first: 'La Chute,' Éditions Gallimard, Paris, 1956, in the standard cream printed wrappers of Gallimard's 'Blanche' series, identified by the edition/printing (achevé d'imprimer) statement of the first mille; in Gallimard's usual hierarchy a small limited issue on special paper (grand papier) precedes the trade wrappered issue. The English translation throughout is by Justin O'Brien. Confirm the achevé d'imprimer/print run to separate the first issue from later Gallimard printings.

## Is this the true first?
The original-language French first (Gallimard, 1956) is the true first. In English (O'Brien translation) the UK edition — Hamish Hamilton, London, 1957 — is generally cited as the first English-language edition, later reprints noting 'This translation originally published: London: Hamish Hamilton, 1957'; the first American edition, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, was published 15 June 1957 and follows. Both 1957 English editions are collected; the within-year UK-before-US order is close and rests on the bibliographic 'originally published' record rather than a firmly documented day-level date.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No specific book-club issue tell was documented in the sources consulted. Later Gallimard printings and the many post-1957 English reprints follow the firsts; verify the Gallimard print-run statement and, for the UK/US editions, first-impression status with no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fall* by Albert Camus a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fall
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.