Books

New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1937. First printing denoted by "A" and Scribner colophon at copyright. One of 10,130 printed by Scribner on October 15, 1937. Black full cloth boards, gilt embossed cover signature, crisp gilt spine titles w/several bands on sharp green fields, slight shelf wear. Deckled page near fine, clean; no writing. Bind fine, square; hinges intact. Original first edition dust wrapper, light shelf wear, rub; unclipped 2.50, protected in new clear sleeve. Bright jacket in bold black and white titles on gold background at front panel, and photo of Hemingway by Joris Ivens taken in Spain at back panel. Very attractive. Ultra rare fine first printing in matching near fine original wrapper. Rather amazingly well preserved and complete example approaching nine decades in existence. The dramatic and brutal story of Harry Morgan, an honest boat owner who is forced into running contraband between Cuba and Key West as a means of keeping his crumbling…

To Have and Have Not is the dramatic story of Harry Morgan, an honest man who is forced into running contraband between Cuba and Key West as a means of keeping his crumbling family financially afloat. His adventures lead him into the world of the wealthy and dissipated yachtsmen who throng the region, and involve him in a strange and unlikely love affair. Hemingway's most intriguing and tantalizing themes make their appearance: man's battle against the cruelty of nature, the pressures of society on the individual, and the existential qualities of life in the modern world.

One method to determine a first edition of 'To Have and Have Not' is by identifying the 'A' present on the copyright page, indicating a first printing, and absence of mention of later printings.