# Is "The Family Moskat" by Isaac Bashevis Singer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Family Moskat by Isaac Bashevis Singer (Alfred A. Knopf, 1950) is identified by: First edition in English published by Alfred A. Original-language precedence: the text first appeared as a Yiddish serialization ('Di Familye Mushkat') in the New York daily Forverts, 1945-48, and in a two-volume Yiddish book edition (Morris S.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in English published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1950 — Singer's first book to appear in English
- 611 pp, translated by A. H. Gross (completed after his death by Nancy Gross, with Maurice Samuel and others), dust jacket designed by George Salter
- First printings carry Knopf's stated 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi device (no number line); priced jacket (identification only)
- The collected point here is translation precedence rather than a textual state, so the jacketed Knopf 1950 English first is the target
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Isaac Bashevis Singer |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in English published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1950 — Singer's first book to appear in English |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition in English published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1950 — Singer's first book to appear in English; 611 pp, translated by A. H. Gross (completed after his death by Nancy Gross, with Maurice Samuel and others), dust jacket designed by George Salter. First printings carry Knopf's stated 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi device (no number line); priced jacket (identification only). The collected point here is translation precedence rather than a textual state, so the jacketed Knopf 1950 English first is the target.

## Is this the true first?
Original-language precedence: the text first appeared as a Yiddish serialization ('Di Familye Mushkat') in the New York daily Forverts, 1945-48, and in a two-volume Yiddish book edition (Morris S. Sklarsky, New York) in 1950. The Knopf English translation (New York, 1950) is the first edition in English and the first book to bear Singer's name in English; priority within 1950 between the Yiddish book and the English translation is debated, but the serialization clearly precedes both.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reissues (e.g., the Farrar, Straus / Noonday reprints) reset the text and are not the first; the Knopf 1950 with stated 'First Edition' and the George Salter jacket is required for the English first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Family Moskat* by Isaac Bashevis Singer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-family-moskat
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.