# Is "The Postman Always Rings Twice" by James M. Cain a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain (Alfred A. Knopf, 1934) is identified by: True first is the 1934 Knopf HARDCOVER (Cain's debut). Caution: hardcover precedes the paperback by 13 years.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the 1934 Knopf HARDCOVER (Cain's debut)
- Caution title
- Knopf first states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi device; the jacket has the original price
- The later Pocket Books paperback (1947, an early Pocket number) is a famous reprint, not the first
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James M. Cain |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the 1934 Knopf HARDCOVER (Cain's debut) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the 1934 Knopf HARDCOVER (Cain's debut). Caution title. Knopf first states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page with the Borzoi device; the jacket has the original price. The later Pocket Books paperback (1947, an early Pocket number) is a famous reprint, not the first.

## Is this the true first?
Caution: hardcover precedes the paperback by 13 years. The Pocket Books edition is a reprint/first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Knopf hardcover first says 'FIRST EDITION'; book-club lacks it, has rear-board blind-stamp and no-price jacket; the Pocket paperback is clearly a later mass-market.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Postman Always Rings Twice* by James M. Cain a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-postman-always-rings-twice
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.