# Is "An Enemy of the People (adaptation of Ibsen)" by Arthur Miller a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of An Enemy of the People (adaptation of Ibsen) by Arthur Miller (Viking Press, 1951) is identified by: The Viking Press, New York, 1951 (published March 1951), titled 'Arthur Miller's Adaptation of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen'; octavo, 125 pages. US Viking 1951 is the true first of Miller's adaptation.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Viking Press, New York, 1951 (published March 1951), titled 'Arthur Miller's Adaptation of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen'; octavo, 125 pages
- First-state binding is grey cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in black and a red top edge (stained topedge), issued under a pictorial orange-and-black dust jacket that retains its printed price when unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Miller |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Viking Press, New York, 1951 (published March 1951), titled 'Arthur Miller's Adaptation of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The Viking Press, New York, 1951 (published March 1951), titled 'Arthur Miller's Adaptation of An Enemy of the People by Henrik Ibsen'; octavo, 125 pages. First-state binding is grey cloth with the spine and front cover lettered in black and a red top edge (stained topedge), issued under a pictorial orange-and-black dust jacket that retains its printed price when unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking 1951 is the true first of Miller's adaptation.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No early book club edition of the true first; identify by the 1951 Viking imprint, grey cloth, red top edge, and the orange-and-black jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *An Enemy of the People (adaptation of Ibsen)* by Arthur Miller a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/an-enemy-of-the-people-adaptation-of-ibsen
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.