First impression
1957At a glance
Points of issue
- Dust jacket, front flapPrinted price on the front flap: 10s. 6d. net→ first issue jacket
The FallHamish Hamilton
Hardback
The Fall (1957)
Publisher Hamish Hamilton
Year 1957
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 Nov 2026.
Market value
What decides the price
- It is the first UK edition; the true first was published elsewhere.
- The first printing is told from later ones by 1 point of issue listed below.
- The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
- Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.
Sales record
No sales recorded yet
We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
Pro members with this book on their wantlist are emailed when it sells under their price.
Quick answer
- How do I identify a The Fall 1957 hardback?
- Check these points. Dust jacket, front flap: Printed price on the front flap: 10s. 6d. net. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
- Who published The Fall 1957 hardback?
- Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1957, in hardback.
How to identify this edition
La Chute was published in French by Gallimard in 1956. The first British edition of Justin O'Brien's English translation is the Hamish Hamilton hardback, London, 1957, a slim octavo of 109 pages. Its dust jacket was designed by Patricia Davey and the first-issue jacket carries a printed price of 10s. 6d. net, so an unclipped jacket matters. A first impression lists no further impressions on the reverse of the title; Hamish Hamilton kept the book in print, and copies dated 1961 and 1962 are offered, so check the date and printing history. Many copies lack the jacket. Knopf published the American edition in New York the same year.
How Hamish Hamilton marked its first editions
- The 1951 first UK edition of The Catcher in the Rye is bound in blue cloth lettered in silver, and its pictorial jacket was designed by Fritz Wegner.
Read the full guide to Hamish Hamilton first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
Printing by printing
Printings and states
Frequently asked questions
How do I identify a The Fall 1957 hardback?
Check these points. Dust jacket, front flap: Printed price on the front flap: 10s. 6d. net. Each point is confirmed by at least two independent sources.
Who published The Fall 1957 hardback?
Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1957, in hardback.
Where these facts come from
- The Fall (Camus novel), Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Fall, first UK edition first impression, Orlando Booksellers, AbeBooks (abebooks.com)
- The Fall 1957, first UK edition, The Cary Collection (thecarycollection.com)
- The Fall, Camus first edition listings (MFR Rare Books and others), AbeBooks (abebooks.co.uk)
- The Fall, UK 1st, Setanta Books (setantabooks.com)
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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