The Red Badge of Courage
The Red Badge of Courage is Stephen Crane's American Civil War novel, issued in book form by D. Appleton and Company of New York in October 1895 after a shortened newspaper serial in December 1894. It follows a young Union private, Henry Fleming, through fear and shame in battle.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First edition
- D. Appleton and Company, 1895
- First published
- D. Appleton and Company, New York, 1895
- First UK edition
- Heinemann
The first edition of The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane was published in New York by D. Appleton and Company in 1895. We track 2 editions.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
- 1st D. Appleton and Company1895 Hardback I own The Red Badge of Courage, D. Appleton and Company 1895 Log in to want this
Later and other editions
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
Adaptations
- The Red Badge of Courage film, 1951
- The Red Badge of Courage film, 1974
- Tobruk film, 2008
Setting and characters
- Set in
- United States (American Civil War)
- Genre
- war fiction, historical fiction
In print
- Editions recorded
- 1086 on Open Library, 917 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 22 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.
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 Stephen Crane
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How to Identify a First Edition
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Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of The Red Badge of Courage?
The first edition of The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane was published in New York by D. Appleton and Company in 1895.
How many editions of The Red Badge of Courage are there?
We track 2 editions of The Red Badge of Courage, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Has The Red Badge of Courage been adapted?
Yes, including Tobruk (film, 2008), The Red Badge of Courage (film, 1974), The Red Badge of Courage (film, 1951), according to Wikidata.
Can I read The Red Badge of Courage 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
- The Red Badge of Courage, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Red Badge of Courage editions, Open Library (openlibrary.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.