The points of issue
First printing has the Scribner seal with the letter A on the copyright page. Bound in red cloth with Hemingway's facsimile signature stamped in black on the front cover and the spine lettered in gilt and black. Issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed price. Published October 14, 1938. First collected appearance of four previously uncollected stories.
Is this the true first?
True US first edition; precedes the UK Cape edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of note; later printings drop the A and seal.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing has the Scribner seal with the letter A on the copyright page. Bound in red cloth with Hemingway's facsimile signature stamped in black on the front cover and the spine lettered in gilt and black. Issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed price. Published October 14, 1938. First collected appearance of four previously uncollected stories.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. True US first edition; precedes the UK Cape edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition of note; later printings drop the A and seal.
I have a first edition of The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.