# Is "The Thin Man" by Dashiell Hammett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett (Alfred A. Knopf, 1934) is identified by: Knopf first edition; copyright page consistent with the unmarked/first-state Knopf practice of the period with no later printing indicated. US Knopf 1934 is the true first, preceding the UK Arthur Barker edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf first edition; copyright page consistent with the unmarked/first-state Knopf practice of the period with no later printing indicated
- Hammett's last novel
- First-state dust jacket with its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dashiell Hammett |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf first edition; copyright page consistent with the unmarked/first-state Knopf practice of the period with no later printing indicated |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Knopf first edition; copyright page consistent with the unmarked/first-state Knopf practice of the period with no later printing indicated. Hammett's last novel. First-state dust jacket with its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf 1934 is the true first, preceding the UK Arthur Barker edition. US first preferred.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Grosset & Dunlap and film-tie-in reprints (for the 1934 Powell/Loy film) are obvious by imprint and jacket art; no club edition precedes the Knopf first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Thin Man* by Dashiell Hammett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-thin-man
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.