# Is "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1952) is identified by: First printing has the 'A' with 1952 imprint on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket has the blue/silver design with NO Book-of-the-Month Club blind-stamp and the printed price present (jacket not clipped). US Scribner's 1952 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the 'A' with 1952 imprint on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket has the blue/silver design with NO Book-of-the-Month Club blind-stamp and the printed price present (jacket not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ernest Hemingway |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the 'A' with 1952 imprint on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket has the blue/silver design with NO… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the 'A' with 1952 imprint on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket has the blue/silver design with NO Book-of-the-Month Club blind-stamp and the printed price present (jacket not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's 1952 is the true first. The BOMC edition appeared almost simultaneously and is the single most common confusion.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
BOMC/book-club copy has a small blind-stamped square or dot on the lower-right rear board and NO 'A' on the copyright page; that blind-stamp is the definitive tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Old Man and the Sea* by Ernest Hemingway a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-old-man-and-the-sea
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.