A Farewell to Arms First Edition — Identification, Values & Collecting Guide

Why This Book Matters

A Farewell to Arms is Hemingway’s masterpiece of sustained narrative — the novel that proved the stripped prose of The Sun Also Rises could sustain a full-length war story and love story simultaneously. Published by Charles Scribner’s Sons on September 27, 1929 (one month before the Wall Street Crash), it immediately confirmed Hemingway as the dominant American novelist of his generation. The book had been serialized in Scribner’s Magazine from May to October 1929, building enormous anticipation: the trade first printing of approximately 31,050 copies was unusually large for literary fiction, and it sold briskly.

For collectors, A Farewell to Arms offers two distinct targets: the trade first edition (affordable in unjacketed condition, expensive with jacket) and the 510-copy signed limited edition (one of the most desirable signed limiteds of any 20th-century American novel). The book’s publishing history is also complicated by censorship — Scribner’s Magazine installments were banned in Boston, and the text itself was altered for serialization — creating bibliographic interest in the differences between serial and book texts.

The Signed Limited Edition (510 Copies)

Description

Before the trade edition appeared, Scribner’s issued a signed limited edition:

• Number of copies: 510 (numbered 1–510)
• Binding: Full natural vellum over boards, gilt spine lettering
• Slipcase: Original plain cardboard slipcase (rarely surviving intact)
• Paper: Handmade rag paper with deckle edges
• Signature: Hemingway signed each copy on a tipped-in limitation page
• Publication date: September 27, 1929 (same as trade)
• Original price: $10.00 (vs. $2.50 for trade)

Identification Points

Values

Condition Challenges

Vellum bindings are notoriously problematic:

• Warping: Vellum responds to humidity; boards often bow
• Soiling: The cream surface shows every fingerprint, shelf mark, and stain
• Darkening: Natural vellum darkens unevenly with age and light
• Spine text fading: Gilt lettering on vellum wears faster than on cloth

Finding a signed limited in truly Fine condition is extremely difficult. Most surviving copies show some degree of vellum compromise.

The Trade First Edition

Physical Description

First Printing Identification

1. Scribner “A”: The letter “A” on the copyright page (Scribner’s standard first-printing indicator)
2. No disclaimer: The first-state copyright page has NO legal disclaimer about fictional characters
3. Scribner’s seal: Present on copyright page

First Issue vs. Second Issue

The critical distinction for the trade edition:

First issue (no disclaimer):

• Copyright page does NOT include the statement about characters being fictional
• This is the earliest state

Second issue (with disclaimer):

• Copyright page adds: “None of the characters in this book is a living person” (or similar)
• Added after the first batch was shipped, possibly due to legal concerns about real-life models

The disclaimer distinction affects value by approximately 20–30%. Both states are first printings (both have the “A”), but the no-disclaimer state is earlier.

Print Run

The first printing of approximately 31,050 copies was large. This means unjacketed copies are relatively available — it’s the jacket that makes the difference.

Dust Jacket

First-State Jacket Description

• Front panel: Black and orange design; author name and title
• Spine: Black background with orange/gold lettering
• Rear panel: Publisher’s advertisements
• Front flap: Price $2.50; plot summary
• Rear flap: Advertisements or blank

Jacket States

Jacket Survival

The jacket survival rate for A Farewell to Arms is better than for The Sun Also Rises (larger print run, slightly later date, more copies preserved by buyers aware of Hemingway’s rising stature). Approximately 10–20% of surviving first printings retain their jackets in some form.

Value Ranges (Trade Edition)

Value Modifiers

The Serialization and Censorship

Scribner’s Magazine Serialization

The novel ran in six installments (May–October 1929):

• The serialized text was bowdlerized — profanity and sexual content reduced
• The book text restores the fuller version
• The magazine installments were banned in Boston (the June 1929 issue seized by police)
• Complete runs of the magazine with the serialization have separate collectible value ($500–$1,500 for the six-issue set)

The Alternate Endings

Hemingway wrote approximately 47 different endings for the novel. These weren’t published until the 2012 edition edited by Sean Hemingway, which includes a facsimile of the endings. The most famous rejected ending is the “Nada” conclusion — far more nihilistic than the published version. The 2012 Scribner edition containing these endings is readily available ($25–$50) and illuminates the compositional process.

Hemingway’s Signature on the Limited

Characteristics

The signed limited editions of A Farewell to Arms bear signatures from September 1929 — Hemingway at age 30, at the height of his early powers. The signature is typically:

• Full “Ernest Hemingway”
• Black or blue-black ink
• Slightly larger and more confident than his later, more abbreviated signatures
• Positioned on the limitation page below the number

Authentication

These signatures are well-documented (510 verified examples with known numbers). Authentication is relatively straightforward — comparison against other copies with the same-period signature, plus the physical context (limitation page, correct paper, proper numbering sequence).

Collecting Context

Where This Fits in Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms occupies a specific position in the Hemingway hierarchy:

• More attainable than The Sun Also Rises (5x the print run) and the Paris rarities (impossible)
• More expensive than the later novels (post-1940 Hemingway was printed in enormous quantities)
• The signed limited occupies the sweet spot: a museum-quality signed Hemingway for $30,000–$75,000 (vs. $50,000–$200,000+ for earlier signed material)

Companion Shelf: War Novels

The 1929 Coincidence

A Farewell to Arms was published alongside other major works in the same year:

• Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury (October 1929)
• Wolfe’s Look Homeward, Angel (October 1929)
• Graves’s Goodbye to All That (November 1929)
• Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front (English translation, 1929)

1929 may be the greatest single year for the 20th-century novel. Collecting “1929” as a concept — all major novels from that year — is a viable and fascinating approach.

Buying Advice

The Best Value Proposition

The trade first edition without jacket represents the best entry point for Hemingway collectors:

• At $300–$2,000, you own a genuine Hemingway first printing
• The “A” and the no-disclaimer state confirm authenticity
• These copies are plentiful enough to be selective about condition

The Signed Limited as Investment

The 510-copy signed limited has proven remarkably stable:

• 1990s: $15,000–$25,000
• 2000s: $25,000–$40,000
• 2020s: $30,000–$75,000

As a signed, limited Hemingway in a fixed edition of 510, these are unlikely to depreciate. The main risk is condition deterioration of the vellum.

Red Flags

1. Missing “A” on copyright page — not first printing
2. Paper labels missing or replaced — common; significantly affects value
3. Gold labels darkened/oxidized — normal aging but affects grade
4. Vellum (signed ltd) with heavy warping — structural compromise; grade carefully
5. Slipcase replacement — many signed limiteds have had slipcases replaced; originals have no publisher markings