Books

An iconic work of philosophy and literature. First edition, first printing. Original publisher's wrappers. In April 1942, 4400 copies were produced with varied imprints - 400 service de presse, 500 with no mention of edition, and 3500 with false mentions of editions from second through eighth. This copy bears the false fifth edition imprint. Spine toned and chipped with some spotting, cover edges moderately worn, pages browned per usual, overall a Very Good copy. Rare in wrappers. 'The Stranger was completed as Camus worked during the day in a dingy hotel room in Paris, while in the evenings, he worked for a newspaper. It was a time of loneliness and tumult. As the war raged on, Camus moved from Paris to Oran in Algeria…With the Nazis' growing stranglehold over all French institutions, paper production was strictly regulated and censorship was in place. That Camus's book was published appears nothing short of miraculous…In the end, the Nazi head of propaganda in France, who had…

L'Etranger (The Stranger) is a novel by French author Albert Camus published in 1942. Its theme and outlook are often cited as examples of Camus's philosophy of the absurd and existentialism, though Camus personally rejected the latter label.

Identifying a first edition of 'L'Etranger' would involve checking the publisher (Gallimard), publication date, and often specific details like errors or typesetting details that were corrected in later editions.