# Is "The Interpretation of Dreams" by Sigmund Freud a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud (Franz Deuticke, 1899/1900 (German) / 1913 (English)) is identified by: German true first: 'Die Traumdeutung,' Franz Deuticke, Leipzig & Vienna — printed 1899 but title-page dated 1900 (a famous point: the book bears '1900' though copies were available in November 1899). The Deuticke 'Die Traumdeutung' (title-page 1900, actually issued late 1899) is the true first — only 600 copies, very rare.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- German true first: 'Die Traumdeutung,' Franz Deuticke, Leipzig & Vienna — printed 1899 but title-page dated 1900 (a famous point: the book bears '1900' though copies were available in November 1899)
- 600 copies
- First English edition (trans
- A. A. Brill) is Macmillan/George Allen, 1913
- Publisher imprint reads Franz Deuticke
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sigmund Freud |
| Publisher | Franz Deuticke |
| Year | 1899/1900 (German) / 1913 (English) |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | German true first: 'Die Traumdeutung,' Franz Deuticke, Leipzig & Vienna — printed 1899 but title-page dated 1900 (a famous point: the book… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
German true first: 'Die Traumdeutung,' Franz Deuticke, Leipzig & Vienna — printed 1899 but title-page dated 1900 (a famous point: the book bears '1900' though copies were available in November 1899). 600 copies. First English edition (trans. A. A. Brill) is Macmillan/George Allen, 1913.

## Is this the true first?
The Deuticke 'Die Traumdeutung' (title-page 1900, actually issued late 1899) is the true first — only 600 copies, very rare. The 1913 Brill English translation is the first English edition ('first thus'). The 1899/1900 dating discrepancy is the celebrated bibliographic point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; the main pitfalls are later German editions (revised through 8 editions in Freud's lifetime, each textually expanded) and later English translations (Strachey's Standard Edition). Only the 1900-dated Deuticke first is the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Interpretation of Dreams* by Sigmund Freud a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-interpretation-of-dreams
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.