# Is "The Maltese Falcon" by Dashiell Hammett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (Alfred A. Knopf, 1930) is identified by: First printing has the Knopf Borzoi device with 'FIRST EDITION' / 'Published February, 1930' (no later printing statement); first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with the correct blurb and no review quotes from after publication. US Knopf 1930 is the true first; UK (Cassell, 1930) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the Knopf Borzoi device with 'FIRST EDITION' / 'Published February, 1930' (no later printing statement); first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with the correct blurb and no review quotes from after publication
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dashiell Hammett |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the Knopf Borzoi device with 'FIRST EDITION' / 'Published February, 1930' (no later printing statement); first-issue… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the Knopf Borzoi device with 'FIRST EDITION' / 'Published February, 1930' (no later printing statement); first-issue dust jacket with its printed price with the correct blurb and no review quotes from after publication.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf 1930 is the true first; UK (Cassell, 1930) follows. Hammett-signed firsts are scarce and prized.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies are blind-stamped, lack the publication-month statement, and have unpriced jackets; later Knopf printings add printing statements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Maltese Falcon* by Dashiell Hammett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-maltese-falcon
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.