A Farewell to Arms
A Farewell to Arms is Ernest Hemingway's First World War novel, published by Charles Scribner's Sons in New York in September 1929. It follows Frederic Henry, an American ambulance officer with the Italian army, and his love for the English nurse Catherine Barkley.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First published
- Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1929
- First UK edition
- Jonathan Cape, 1929
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway was first published in 1929. We track 2 editions, with the points that separate the first printing from later ones.
Spot the edition: Page [x]: no legal disclaimer (first printing) Full identification guide
Which edition do you have?
Editions
- Scribner1929 Hardback Sold £239 · Oct 2026 I own A Farewell to Arms, Scribner 1929 Log in to want this
- Jonathan Cape1929 Hardback Sold £1,900 · Jan 2026 I own A Farewell to Arms, Jonathan Cape 1929 Log in to want this
Awards, adaptations and setting
Adaptations
- A Farewell to Arms film, 1932
- A Farewell to Arms film, 1957
- A Farewell to Arms television film, 1966
Setting and characters
- Characters
- Frederic Henry
- Genre
- war novel
In print
- Editions recorded
- 181 on Open Library, 95 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 54 languages
- Free to read
- Project Gutenberg (out of copyright in the US)
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
First UK and first US editions compared
Both appeared in the same year: check each edition's page for which came first.
Pictures of the book
_cover.jpg){kind=link}
Freely licensed pictures of the work. They are not necessarily the edition you hold: check the points on each edition's page.
More by Ernest Hemingway
Questions about A Farewell to Arms
Reviews of A Farewell to Arms
Read it or own it? Share what A Farewell to Arms is like to read or collect.
Know what you are looking at
Ernest Hemingway First Editions: How to Identify the Scribner's and Cape Firsts
Hemingway's first editions run from two tiny Paris printings in 1923 and 1924 to the Scribner's novels, which from 1930 …
Read the guide →7 min readHow to Identify a First Edition
To identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook Condition Grading: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
How many editions of A Farewell to Arms are there?
We track 2 editions of A Farewell to Arms. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has A Farewell to Arms been adapted?
Yes, including A Farewell to Arms (television film, 1966), A Farewell to Arms (film, 1957), A Farewell to Arms (film, 1932), according to Wikidata.
When was A Farewell to Arms first published?
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway was first published in 1929.
Can I read A Farewell to Arms for free?
Yes: the text is out of copyright in the United States and free to read on Project Gutenberg. Collectors still pay for the first edition, which is the physical object, not the words.
Where these facts come from
- A Farewell to Arms, Wikipedia, 2026 (en.wikipedia.org)
- Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell To Arms, First UK Edition 1929, John Atkinson Books (johnatkinsonbooks.co.uk)
- Ernest Hemingway, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.