Is My Copy of The Sun Also Rises a First Edition? How to Identify
You have a copy of Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises and you want to know if it’s a genuine first edition, first printing. Hemingway’s debut novel — published when he was twenty-seven — launched one of the most important careers in American letters, and first editions are among the most collected American books of the twentieth century.
The Quick Answer
A true first edition, first issue was published by Charles Scribner’s Sons in October 1926 with a cover price of $2.00. The critical identifier is the first-issue point: the misspelling “stoppped” (three p’s) on page 181, line 26.
Step-by-Step Identification
Step 1: Check the Publisher
The title page must read Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York with the Scribner’s colophon (stylized “S” with torch).
Step 2: Check the Copyright Page
- “Copyright, 1926, by Charles Scribner’s Sons”
- “Published October, 1926” (or “Published, October, 1926” — comma variations exist)
- No mention of additional printings
- The Scribner’s “A” first-printing identifier was not consistently used at this date — its presence or absence should be confirmed against bibliographic references
Step 3: Check the First-Issue Point
Page 181, line 26: The word “stoppped” appears with three p’s instead of two. This typographical error was corrected in subsequent states of the first printing. This is the single most important identifier for the first issue.
First state (with “stoppped”): the most valuable Second state (with “stopped” corrected): still a first printing, but less valuable
Step 4: Check the Binding
First printing binding:
- Black cloth over boards
- Gilt lettering on the spine and front board
- Title, author, and publisher stamped in gold
- Clean, standard Scribner’s trade binding
Step 5: Check the Dust Jacket
The dust jacket is extremely rare and valuable:
- Design features a seated figure (often described as a classical or modernist illustration)
- $2.00 price on the front flap
- First-issue jacket should have no mention of Hemingway’s later works
- The jacket design is attributed to Cleonike Damianakes (Cleon)
What Is My Copy Worth?
True First Edition, First Issue (“stoppped”)
Scribner’s printed approximately 5,000–6,000 copies of the first printing. The novel was Hemingway’s first major publication (following the slim In Our Time from Boni & Liveright in 1925), and Scribner’s, under the editorial guidance of Maxwell Perkins, gave it a first printing appropriate for a highly anticipated literary debut.
| Condition | Without Dust Jacket | With Dust Jacket |
|---|---|---|
| Fine/Fine (first issue) | $10,000–$25,000 | $80,000–$200,000+ |
| Near Fine/Near Fine | $5,000–$12,000 | $40,000–$100,000 |
| Very Good/Very Good | $2,000–$5,000 | $15,000–$40,000 |
| Good/Good | $800–$2,000 | $5,000–$15,000 |
Second Issue (corrected “stopped”)
| Condition | Without Dust Jacket | With Dust Jacket |
|---|---|---|
| Fine/Fine | $3,000–$8,000 | $20,000–$60,000 |
| Near Fine/Near Fine | $1,500–$4,000 | $10,000–$30,000 |
Signed Copies
Hemingway signed copies with moderate frequency during his lifetime, particularly in the 1930s and 1940s when he was one of the most famous writers in the world. However, signed copies of The Sun Also Rises specifically are scarce — the novel was published early in his career, and most surviving signed Hemingway books are of later titles.
| Condition | Value |
|---|---|
| Signed, first issue, Fine/Fine (with jacket) | $200,000–$500,000+ |
| Signed, first issue, without jacket | $40,000–$100,000 |
Hemingway died by suicide in 1961. No new signed copies will enter the market.
Common Questions
What’s the difference between a first issue and a second issue?
Both are from the same first printing of approximately 5,000–6,000 copies. The distinction is the “stoppped” typo on page 181. First-issue copies have the typo; second-issue copies have the correction. The typo was presumably caught during the print run, and remaining copies were corrected. The first issue commands a significant premium (roughly 2–3x over second issue) because it represents the earliest state of the text.
How does The Sun Also Rises compare to A Farewell to Arms in collecting?
Both are premier Hemingway collectibles. A Farewell to Arms (1929, Scribner’s) is generally considered to have a larger first printing and is slightly more common. However, The Sun Also Rises has the advantage of being the debut novel — first novels of major authors are always the most collected because they represent the beginning of the legend. At auction, the two titles command roughly comparable prices, with Sun Also Rises first-issue copies sometimes edging ahead.
Maxwell Perkins edited this book. Does that matter?
Perkins, the legendary Scribner’s editor who also edited F. Scott Fitzgerald and Thomas Wolfe, was instrumental in acquiring and editing The Sun Also Rises. This editorial lineage — Perkins working simultaneously with Hemingway and Fitzgerald in the mid-1920s — adds to the book’s literary-historical significance. Collectors of the Perkins editorial circle sometimes seek first editions of all the major Perkins-edited novels as a unified collection.
I have a Fiesta copy. What is that?
Fiesta is the title under which The Sun Also Rises was published in the UK by Jonathan Cape in 1927. The Cape Fiesta is a legitimate first UK edition and is collected in its own right ($2,000–$10,000+ depending on condition), though it is secondary to the Scribner’s US first.