# Is "Who Lost an American?" by Nelson Algren a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Who Lost an American? by Nelson Algren (Macmillan, 1963) is identified by: First edition, first printing. US first edition (Macmillan, New York, 1963).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- Published by The Macmillan Company, New York, 1963
- Quarter cloth over paper boards; dust jacket with the publisher's price on the front flap
- A travel and essay collection of Algren's wanderings through Europe
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nelson Algren |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing. Published by The Macmillan Company, New York, 1963. Quarter cloth over paper boards; dust jacket with the publisher's price on the front flap. A travel and essay collection of Algren's wanderings through Europe.

## Is this the true first?
US first edition (Macmillan, New York, 1963).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are stated as such on the copyright page; the first carries no later-printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Who Lost an American?* by Nelson Algren a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/who-lost-an-american
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.