# Is "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" by William L. Shirer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer (Simon & Schuster, 1960) is identified by: Grey cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page. The US Simon & Schuster edition, published October 17, 1960, is the true first and precedes the UK (Secker & Warburg) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Grey cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page
- Frank Metz's first-state dust jacket is the black design bearing red-and-black swastika devices on the front and spine panels, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Maps printed across the endpapers; collation runs to roughly xii plus 1,245 pages plus index
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William L. Shirer |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Grey cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Grey cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Printing' stated on the copyright page. Frank Metz's first-state dust jacket is the black design bearing red-and-black swastika devices on the front and spine panels, with the printed price present on the front flap. Maps printed across the endpapers; collation runs to roughly xii plus 1,245 pages plus index.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster edition, published October 17, 1960, is the true first and precedes the UK (Secker & Warburg) edition. A large share of early US sales went through the Book-of-the-Month Club, so club copies are very common.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Book-of-the-Month Club edition lacks the 'First Printing' statement, carries a blindstamped dot to the lower-right corner of the rear board, and its jacket bears no printed price. The stated 'First Printing,' the bright pink top-stain, and a price-printed jacket together distinguish the trade first from the ubiquitous club copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich* by William L. Shirer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich
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.