# Is "The Neon Wilderness" by Nelson Algren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Neon Wilderness by Nelson Algren (Doubleday & Company, 1947) is identified by: First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Doubleday's consistent 1940s practice of printing First Edition on firsts and removing it from later printings. US first edition (Doubleday, 1947).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Doubleday's consistent 1940s practice of printing First Edition on firsts and removing it from later printings
- Green cloth lettered in brown on spine
- His first short-story collection
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nelson Algren |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Company |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Doubleday's consistent 1940s practice of printing First Edition on firsts and removing it… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First Edition stated on the copyright page, per Doubleday's consistent 1940s practice of printing First Edition on firsts and removing it from later printings. Green cloth lettered in brown on spine. His first short-story collection.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Doubleday, 1947). A UK edition followed later from Neville Spearman.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings omit the First Edition statement on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Neon Wilderness* by Nelson Algren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-neon-wilderness
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.