For Whom the Bell Tolls
For Whom the Bell Tolls is Ernest Hemingway's novel first published by Charles Scribner's Sons in the United States on 21 October 1940. An American dynamiter joins a Republican guerrilla band in the Spanish Civil War. Jonathan Cape issued the first UK edition in London in 1941.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First edition
- Scribner, 1940
- First published
- Charles Scribner's Sons, United States, 1940
- First UK edition
- Jonathan Cape, 1941
The first edition of For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway was published in New York by Scribner in 1940. We track 2 editions.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
- 1st Scribner1940 Hardback Sold £950 · Sep 2026 I own For Whom the Bell Tolls, Scribner 1940 Log in to want this
Later and other editions
- Jonathan Cape1941 Hardback Sold £360 · Feb 2026 I own For Whom the Bell Tolls, Jonathan Cape 1941 Log in to want this
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
Awards and honours
Adaptations
- For Whom the Bell Tolls film, 1942
- For Whom the Bell Tolls television film, 1959
- For Whom the Bell Tolls music, 1984
- For Whom the Bell Tolls television series
Setting and characters
- Set in
- Spain (Spanish Civil War)
- Genre
- war fiction, war literature, war novel
Read next
- Comes after
- The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories
In print
- Editions recorded
- 185 on Open Library, 82 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 58 languages
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
Pictures of the book
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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
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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
Who published the first edition of For Whom the Bell Tolls?
The first edition of For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway was published in New York by Scribner in 1940.
How many editions of For Whom the Bell Tolls are there?
We track 2 editions of For Whom the Bell Tolls, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Did For Whom the Bell Tolls win any awards?
Yes: For Whom the Bell Tolls won the Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century, according to Wikidata.
Has For Whom the Bell Tolls been adapted?
Yes, including For Whom the Bell Tolls (television series), For Whom the Bell Tolls (music, 1984), For Whom the Bell Tolls (television film, 1959), according to Wikidata.
What should I read after For Whom the Bell Tolls?
In order, it follows The Fifth Column and the First Forty-Nine Stories, according to Wikidata.
Where these facts come from
- For Whom the Bell Tolls, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls (Q200920), Wikidata (wikidata.org)
- For Whom the Bell Tolls. First UK Edition (1941), rarebooks.ie (rarebooks.ie)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.