# Is "The Man with the Golden Arm" by Nelson Algren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man with the Golden Arm by Nelson Algren (Doubleday & Company, 1949) is identified by: First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention). US first edition (Doubleday, 1949).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention)
- Title page dated 1949
- Beige cloth stamped in green and red, green endpapers, top edge stained green
- First-printing text states include 'that that' at page 121 line 31 and 'we' for 'be' at page 180 line 11
- Dust jacket priced 3.00 with no mention of the National Book Award
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nelson Algren |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Edition stated on the copyright page (Doubleday convention). Title page dated 1949. Beige cloth stamped in green and red, green endpapers, top edge stained green. First-printing text states include 'that that' at page 121 line 31 and 'we' for 'be' at page 180 line 11. Dust jacket priced 3.00 with no mention of the National Book Award.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Doubleday, 1949). A UK edition followed from Neville Spearman.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The first three printings all carry the 1949 title-page date, so the year alone does not establish a first; later printings show 1950 on the title page and omit the First Edition statement. Identify the true first by the stated First Edition plus the text-state points and the early dust jacket lacking any National Book Award notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man with the Golden Arm* by Nelson Algren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-with-the-golden-arm
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.