# Is "The Gift (Dar)" by Vladimir Nabokov a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Gift (Dar) by Vladimir Nabokov (G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1963) is identified by: First English edition, translated by Michael Scammell in collaboration with the author (with Dmitri Nabokov). Originally serialized in Russian (Sovremennye Zapiski, Paris, 1937–38, with one chapter suppressed); first complete Russian book by the Chekhov Publishing House, New York, 1952.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First English edition, translated by Michael Scammell in collaboration with the author (with Dmitri Nabokov)
- G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, published May 27, 1963; identify the first printing by the stated first edition
- The UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition followed on November 8, 1963, using the same translation
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vladimir Nabokov |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First English edition, translated by Michael Scammell in collaboration with the author (with Dmitri Nabokov) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First English edition, translated by Michael Scammell in collaboration with the author (with Dmitri Nabokov). G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, published May 27, 1963; identify the first printing by the stated first edition. The UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition followed on November 8, 1963, using the same translation.

## Is this the true first?
Originally serialized in Russian (Sovremennye Zapiski, Paris, 1937–38, with one chapter suppressed); first complete Russian book by the Chekhov Publishing House, New York, 1952. The true first English is the Putnam US edition, published May 27, 1963, preceding the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition of November 8, 1963 by roughly five and a half months.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the 1952 Russian-language Chekhov House first book edition from the 1963 English first. Later Penguin and Vintage paperbacks are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Gift (Dar)* by Vladimir Nabokov a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-gift-dar
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.