Most Valuable Ernest Hemingway First Edition Books


You’re probably aware of the enormous price tag of an Ernest Hemingway first edition book. ‘A Farewell to Arms’ and ‘The Sun Also Rises’ are a few of the most valuable first-edition books of the 20th century.

But there are many other rare books and great works by Hemingway with significant value and historical influence that you may need to remember.

First Edition Hemingway Books

His stories redefined fictional writing, and his first-edition books have become timeless treasures sought after by collectors and investors around the world.

If you’re beginning the search for a Hemingway first edition, remember to dig a little bit deeper beyond the most well-known titles.

ernest hemingway books
‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ First Edition Hemingway Book

There are numerous options for nearly forgotten titles when searching for rare books and first-edition books from world-famous authors.


Blazing His Own Trail

When you read about Ernest Hemingway, it’s easy to confuse the fantastic stories he created in his books with his incredible life.

One of the reasons is that Hemingway often mixes his real-life experiences into the stories of his novels.

for whom the bell tolls first edition
My favorite copy of a Hemingway first edition, ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls,’ published in New York in 1940 by Charles Scribner’s Sons. 

His life is so full of adventure you might only imagine it’s from a fictional story. 

The Hemingway Iceberg Theory

Not only did Hemingway live and dream up lives of incredible adventure and discovery, but he also defined an entirely new writing technique, the Iceberg Theory.

Otherwise known as the theory of omission is a minimalistic writing style that focuses on surface elements without detailing the themes underneath.

He talked about how the deeper meaning of a story should be subtle and implicitly discovered by the reader.

hemingway most valuable first edition
Most Valuable Hemingway First Edition Books

A Moveable Feast

The 1964 personal memoir by Hemingway titled ‘A Moveable Feast’ summarizes the author’s struggles as a writer in Paris.

Although Hemingway’s suicide in 1961 delayed the book’s release, the writings were finally published by Mary Hemingway based on original notes and manuscripts.

Another revised and edited version of ‘A Moveable Feast‘ was published by Hemingway’s grandson, Sean, in 2009.

The memoir includes Hemingway’s relationship with cultural figures of the 1920s.

Hemingway’s ‘Lost Generation’

Now referred to as the ‘Lost Generation,’ the period was culturally significant because it was when World War I had ended, and World War II had yet to begin, known as Interwar France.

A Moveable Feast was published posthumously and discussed his first marriage to Hadley Richardson.

Hemingway also had a large circle of friends during his time in Paris. Many notable figures were influential in his work, including Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, Ford Madox Ford, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

a moveable feast first edition

In Our Time

Hemingway wrote the first collection of short stories, ‘ In Our Time,’ published in 1925. The title is from the English Book of Common Prayer, “Give Peace in Our Time, O Lord.”

Using the Iceberg Theory, Hemingway attracted almost immediate attention from writing scholars such as Edmund Wilson, who said the writing was “of the first distinction.” 

A used signed first edition copy of Hemingway’s masterpiece, ‘In Our Time,’ can be found currently selling for $75,000 at AbeBooks.

Individually Numbered, and Valueable

One of the beautiful and unique aspects of the ‘In Our Time’ publication is each of the 170 copies were numbered.

This is an extremely low production volume for Hemingway’s second book. Additional used copies are offered on AbeBooks, priced at $65,000, $55,000, and $41,250. Either in hardcover or softcover, the book makes an amazing collectible.

Check out the free In Our Time audiobook on the Internet Archive, or read the entire In Our Time PDF at the link below.

in our time first edition

Winner Take Nothing

Hemingway’s third collection of short stories was titled, ‘Winner Take Nothing’ in 1933. Included in the book is an eclectic mix of 14 stories.

Some of the short stories have been published in various magazines, but most were previously published in the release of the book.

From the characters in ‘A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,’ about a Spanish Beggar, to ‘Homage to Switzerland,’ which details a mix of conversations at a Swiss railway station restaurant, the stories show Hemingway’s command of the short story format. 

First Edition Hemingway, Signed

A copy of ‘Winner Take Nothing’ is currently listed on AbeBooks for $12,500. The book is in excellent condition and signed by Hemingway on the book’s front endpapers.

Another copy is listed without the author’s signature for $7,500 and appears to be in great shape.

Moving down the line from great condition to light wear showing, two more copies are listed for $4,500 and $3,500, and a couple more are priced at $3,000.

Low Production First Edition Books

Six to seven more copies are offered in the $1,800 to $2,400 range with small tears in the dust jacket, chipped ends, damage to the top edge, and light rubbing at the lettering and page edges.

There were approximately 20,000 first-edition copies produced in 1933. The entire Ernest Hemingway book, Winner Take Nothing PDF is here.

winner take nothing

To Have and Have Not

After his initial cool reception from ‘Green Hills of Africa,’ he published his next book in 1937. ‘To Have and Have Not’ features a fishing boat captain in Key West, Florida, who was forced into some difficult decisions because of the harsh economic climate.

The book’s main character, Harry Morgan, is an ordinary working man who begins running contraband from Florida to Cuba to make ends meat.

He finds himself dealing with the “Have’s” and the “Have Not’s,” wealthy and privileged, along with the poor and destitute. 

From Cosmo, to Esquire, to Novel

To Have and Have Not began as a short story published in Cosmopolitan magazine in 1934. When Hemingway added a second story in 1936 for publication in Esquire magazine, he decided the main character, Harry Morgan, would be expanded into a novel. Ten thousand copies were printed for the first edition in 1937.

Numerous copies of the first edition book are currently offered on Biblio for $2,000 to $4,000 ranging from Near Fine to Fine condition.

First Printing, First Edition

There’s also an excellent condition book offered on AbeBooks featuring the publisher’s “A” imprinted on the copyright page, signifying the first printing of the first edition.

The copy also features a front flap dust jacket with octavo vibrant color and no tears or chips, selling for $4,500.

In the link below, check out the Ernest Hemingway book, To Have and Have Not PDF.

to have and have not

For Whom the Bell Tolls

First published in 1940, For Whom the Bell Tolls is a story of a young volunteer guerrilla fighter during the Spanish Civil War. The main character, Robert Jordan, is assigned to blow up a bridge while an attack on Segovia’s city is underway.

For Whom the Bell Tolls makes many assumptions about readers’ knowledge of the complicated alliances involved in the Spanish Civil War.

Many real-world events discussed in the book were understood as leading up to the breakout of World War II. 

First Edition Hemingway, and the Pulitzer Prize

At the time of the book’s 1st edition publication, the U.S. had yet to enter the war, which began on September 1, 1939, when Nazi Germany invaded Poland. 

The book sold 500,000 copies within months of its release and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Seventy-five thousand copies of the first edition were printed and sold for $2.75 each. 

A signed For Whom the Bell Tolls first edition copy in fine condition is selling on AbeBooks for $17,500.

Unsigned copies in good condition are currently offered at $3,000 to $4,500. A few other signed first-edition copies in very good condition are selling for $10,000 to $12,000. The prizewinning book of later printing sell for a few hundred dollars in good condition.

Read For Whom the Bell Tolls PDF at the link below,

books by ernest hemingway
for whom the bell tolls first edition
My used copy of the first edition Hemingway book, ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls.’
for whom the bell tolls first edition
Copyright 1940, Ernest Hemingway
for whom the bell tolls first edition
‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’

The Old Man and the Sea

The last fictional Ernest Hemingway book published during his lifetime was The Old Man and the Sea, published in 1952. The story follows an aging fisherman who struggles with a giant marlin off Cuba’s coast.

Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 for the book, which opens with Santiago’s main character going 84 days without catching a fish. 

Many literary critics say The Old Man and the Sea reinvigorated Hemingway’s literary reputation and restored fans’ confidence in his abilities as a storyteller.

Hemingway’s Reputation

His international reputation was also at an all-time peak. In 1954, Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for “his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he exerted on contemporary style.”

There were 50,000 first-edition copies of The Old Man and the Sea printed. The book was published simultaneously with a Life magazine feature where more than 5 million copies of the magazine sold in two days.

Rare First Edition Signed

Signed copies of The Old Man and the Sea first edition currently listed for sale at AbeBooks range from $12,500 for good condition to $35,000 for fine condition with the Scribner’s seal on the title page.

Other first-edition copies in poorer condition with damage to the rear panel are offered for sale for as low as $2,500.

Read The Old Man and the Sea PDF at the link below.

old man and the sea first edition

Three Stories and Ten Poems

Contact Publishing ran 300 copies of Three Stories and Ten Poems in 1923. The Paris printing shop would later realize it printed the first collections of short stories by an author who would be one of the most famous and influential writers in history.

An inscribed copy with the original first issue dust jacket is offered on AbeBooks for $125,000, whereas unsigned copies are priced at $35,000 to $55,000.

Read Three Stories and Ten Poems PDF at the link below.

three stories and ten poems
Three Stories & Ten Poems

Hemingway A Farewell to Arms

Set in the Italian campaign during the First World War I, Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms was published in 1929 and became the author’s best-seller.

The story is based on his experience serving on the Italian front as a volunteer ambulance driver. While serving in the Italian army, Hemingway was wounded and sent to a hospital in Milan.

A Farwell to Arms is a first-person account, and the book’s title is from a poem by the 16th-century writer George Peele. The first edition print run was approximately 31,000 copies and was the first big payday for Hemingway as a writer. 

A Farewell to Arms First Edition, Signed

A signed first-edition copy of Hemingway’s work, A Farewell to Arms, is currently offered for $65,000 on AbeBooks.

Another first edition copy inscribed and in near fine condition with publisher’s black cloth is listed at $35,000. Unsigned first-edition copies range from $10,000 to $24,000.

Read the entire ‘A Farewell to Arms’ PDF at the link below.

farewell to arms first edition

The Sun Also Rises

Now we’re getting into the big-time books when you consider a first edition Hemingway. The book everyone knows and seems to love.

The Sun Also Rises is one of the most famous novels ever written and, indeed, one of the most sought-after first-edition books.

Published in 1926, the book describes a group of American and British expatriates traveling from Paris to the Festival of San Fermin in Pamplona for the running of the bulls. One Hemingway biographer describes The Sun Also Rises as “Hemingway’s greatest work.” 

Hemingway’s Greatest First Edition?

The book was published by Scribner, who printed the novel on October 22, 1926. The first edition printing run totaled 5,090 copies with a sale price of $2.00 each.

The incredibly low production volume for the world-famous book makes it one of the most expensive first-edition books from the early twentieth century. By 1983, The Sun Also Rises had been in continuous print since its first publication and would end up being one of the most translated books in the world. 

Inscribed first edition copies of The Sun Also Rises currently listed for sale include a $225,000 book and another for $125,000 at AbeBooks.

Six Figure Hemingway First Edition

Unsigned books for sale include a copy for $100,000 and another for $87,000. Another copy in near fine condition lists for $75,000.

Read The Sun Also Rises PDF in the link below.

the sun also rises

Hemingway First Edition Books

Hemingway’s life is fascinating. If you ever find yourself near his birthplace in Oak Park, Illinois, there’s a museum I would recommend visiting.

You can see that even in High School, Hemingway dreamed of writing great stories. As he made his way to his first job working as a reporter for The Kansas City Star when he was just 17 years old, he learned the meaning of storytelling.

Kansas City to the Toronto Star

As he moved on to the Toronto Star as a writer, he began experimenting with pseudonyms. Nonetheless, readers could discern his unique voice because of his knack for using dialogue.

He moved to Paris, where he worked as a foreign correspondent at the Toronto Star. Later, he would famously say Paris was where “the most interesting people in the world” lived.

Hemingway in Paris

Some of his most famous novels were written in Paris. Some of his best books would reference his time in Paris. But it was not just the novels he gained in Paris. The personal experiences would also shape the rest of his life.

The ‘Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway’ is a collection of short fiction, including “The Snows of Kilimanjaro,” “A Clean, Well-Lighted Place,” and “The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber.”

The American novelist had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction. Many of his books incorporate ideas from his own life.

Intertwining the true story of how he experienced the world into memorable characters was what made Hemingway’s work memorable.

There are Plenty of Options With Hemingway

If you dream of owning an Ernest Hemingway first edition book someday, you have plenty of options. Hemingway fans have no reason to think the dream is out of reach.

Even though you might see The Sun Also Rises selling for $200,000, there are other choices.

One of the Greatest Novelists Ever

Other great first-edition Ernest Hemingway books are selling for just a few thousand dollars and might have as much or even more meaning as his most famous works.

Hemingway fans, don’t give up on the hunt. Owning your piece of literary history, and one of the greatest novelists of all-time, is possible if you keep a sharp eye out for 1st editions.


Death in the Afternoon First Edition

Death in the Afternoon First Edition

Across the River and Into the Trees First Edition

Across the River and Into the Trees First Edition

Men Without Women First Edition

Men Without Women First Edition

The Torrents of Spring First Edition

The Torrents of Spring First Edition

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