The Postman Always Rings Twice

by Cain, James M

The Postman Always Rings Twice, the first novel written by James M. Cain, was published in 1934 by Alfred A. Knopf. This book tells a dramatic story of murder and passion. Frank and Cora become lovers and conspire to murder Cora's husband, take over his diner, and live happily ever after. Things go wrong, and the novel is narrated by Frank from his prison cell on death row. The writing style epitomizes and in many ways pioneered hard-boiled crime drama, despite the author's distaste for the term. This book caused a sensation upon publication due to both the violence and sexual content.

First Edition Identification

Cain had previously published a collection of satirical essays under the title Our Government in 1930. The Postman Always Rings Twice, his first novel, was instantly a best-seller, and launched his literary career, though he continued to work as a journalist for many years. The book was originally published in 1934 by Alfred A. Knopf. First editions of this work are highly sought after, and commonly command prices over $2,000 USD. The popularity of the film adaptions of the book have much to do with the continuing collectability of the novel. Common flaws to the first edition include minor damage to the spine and boards, foxing of the page edges, and page tanning. 

Other Collectible or Notable Editions

The UK edition published Jonathan Cape Ltd is also sought ofter by collectors, as are original copies of the screenplay for the classic 1946 film noir adaptation starring Lana Turner and John Garfield.

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The Postman Always Rings Twice
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The Postman Always Rings Twice

by James M. Cain

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
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Tomball, Texas, USA
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A$8,081.32

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First UK Edition; A Near Fine book in a Near Fine dust jacket. Typed Letter SIGNED by the author on his stationary laid in. This is the very scarce 1st UK edition; although not the true first (the US was published shortly beforehand), the UK is super rare to find in collectible condition, particularly in the ORIGINAL jacket with no… Read more about this item
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A$8,081.32
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The Postman Always Rings Twice

by James M. Cain

Condition
Used - Good
Published
1978-04
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0394725832
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1
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HOUSTON, Texas, USA
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A$16.99

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Vintage Books, 1978-04. Paperback. Good.
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A$16.99
The Postman Always Rings Twice.

The Postman Always Rings Twice.

by Cain, James M

Condition
Used
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
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Palm Beach, Florida, USA
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A$31,082.00

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New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. It is sometimes easy to trace a literary genre to its source, and James M. Cain's first novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, is the noir novel that paved the way for all the noir fiction that followed. The famous film starring Lana Turner and John Garfield is notoriously dark, but the novel… Read more about this item
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A$31,082.00
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - Murder Mystery Monthly No. 6

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - Murder Mystery Monthly No. 6

by James M. Cain, drawings by Wm. [William] Frost

Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
Reprint
Published
1942
Binding
Paperback
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Blue Hill, Maine, USA
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Item Price
A$46.62

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Description:
New York: Avon Book Co., 1942. Reprint. Paperback. Very Good. 5 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches. 147 pages + 6 pages of ads. Complete and unexpurgated. Condition is Very Good; Light crease on upper right front corner of cover, "12/11/42" written in pencil on front cover bewtween "Mystery" and " Monthly", text & illustrations are very clean, binding… Read more about this item
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A$46.62
The Postman Always Rings Twice (First Edition)
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The Postman Always Rings Twice (First Edition)

by James M. Cain

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
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Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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A$4,273.78

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New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. First Edition. The author's seminal first novel, a cornerstone of hard-boiled fiction that was filmed twice: first in 1946 with John Garfield and Lana Turner, and more nihilistically, with a David Mamet screenplay, in 1981 with Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange. James M. Cain's initial title for the book… Read more about this item
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A$4,273.78
The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
Dust Jacket Included
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
New York, New York, USA
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A$4,662.30

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New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934 First edition, first printing. Original publisher's orange cloth, titles and decorations printed in blue to front board and spine, blue top stain; original black, red and white dust jacket with wavy design. Near fine book with a touch of soiling to top edge of text block, light wear to bottom edges of boards, and… Read more about this item
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A$4,662.30
The Postman Always Rings Twice (Armed Services Edition, Q-2) [*SIGNED*]
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The Postman Always Rings Twice (Armed Services Edition, Q-2) [*SIGNED*]

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
First Edition Thus
Published
[1944] (c.1934)
Binding
Stapled wraps
Quantity Available
1
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Los Angeles, California, USA
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A$7,770.50

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(n.p.): Editions for the Armed Services, Inc.. Very Good. [1944] (c.1934). First Edition Thus. Stapled wraps. [moderately worn copy, slght fading along spine, short diagonal crease at bottom corner of front cover; internally quite clean, with typical signs of aging to cheap paper]. An outstanding association copy of Cain's most famous novel, INSCRIBED and SIGNED by the… Read more about this item
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A$7,770.50
The Postman Always Rings Twice
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The Postman Always Rings Twice

by James M. Cain

Condition
Used - Very Good-
Edition
11th printing
Published
1953
Binding
Tight
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1
Seller
Portland , Oregon, USA
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A$31.08

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Pictorial covers. 11th printing, September,1953.
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A$31.08
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
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THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very good in very good jacket with minor restoration.
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
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Item Price
A$2,331.15

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London: Jonathan Cape, 1934. Very good in very good jacket with minor restoration.. First UK edition of the bleakest and most shocking of the 20th century's classic crime novels, in the scarce original dust jacket. A genre-defining blueprint for the golden age of film noir and a masterfully brutal anti-melodrama, THE POSTMAN draws the boundaries of a world… Read more about this item
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A$2,331.15
The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Portland, Oregon, USA
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Item Price
A$1,398.69

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Description:
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. First Edition, First Printing. Very Good, lacking dust jacket. Offsetting to end papers. First 8 page leafs have a tiny tear at the side edge. Foxing to side of page block and cloth. Sunning to spine. First edition, as stated.
Item Price
A$1,398.69
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

by James M. Cain

Condition
Used
Edition
9th printing
Published
1944
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Dayton, Ohio, USA
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Item Price
A$69.93

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Description:
New York: Grosset & Dunlap, 1944. 9th printing. Hardcover. 188p. A red cloth hardcover book in good condition. Minor shelfwear; dampstaining on top foredge and spine darkened. Text clean and binding tight. An early vintage printing of this classic crime novel.
Item Price
A$69.93
The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice

by CAIN, James M.

Condition
Used - Good
Edition
First Thus
Published
1942
Binding
Paperback
Quantity Available
1
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Asheville, North Carolina, USA
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A$31.08

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Description:
New York: Avon, 1942. First Thus. Paperback. Good. Duodecimo. 5.5 x 7.5 in. 147 pp. Good in original pictorial wrappers, previous owner signature on title page and general wear to covers. No. 6 of the Murder Mystery Monthly series.
Item Price
A$31.08
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - INSCRIBED TO RICHARD M. LACKRITZ
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THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE - INSCRIBED TO RICHARD M. LACKRITZ

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Stephenson, Virginia, USA
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A$23,311.50

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Description:
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. Cain's first novel, and one of the defining works of crime fiction to come out of the Depression. "An itinerant worker and the young wife of the Greek owner of a roadside lunchroom near Los Angeles plot her husband's murder. The first attempt fails; the second succeeds. What follows is guilt,… Read more about this item
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A$23,311.50
The Postman Always Rings Twice
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The Postman Always Rings Twice

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
Very Good
Edition
1st Edition
Published
1934
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Beverly Hills, California, USA
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Item Price
A$4,273.78

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Description:
Knopf, 1934. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. A very good first edition (First Edition stated on copyright page) in a very good dust jacket, with original $2 price on front flap. First issue jacket with correct books listed on the back panel. Owner's signature on front free endpaper. Comes in a custom-made collector's slipcase.
Item Price
A$4,273.78
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
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THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Stephenson, Virginia, USA
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Item Price
A$6,993.45

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Description:
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. Cain's first novel, in which "an itinerant worker and the young wife of the Greek owner of a roadside lunchroom near Los Angeles plot her husband's murder. The first attempt fails; the second succeeds. What follows is guilt, suspicion, betrayal, their own deaths, and a novel that anticipated the trend of… Read more about this item
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A$6,993.45
The Postman Always Rings Twice

The Postman Always Rings Twice

by CAIN, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Edition
First Paperback Edition.
Published
1984
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0330263129
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Auckland, NZL
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A$15.54

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London: Pan Books, 1984 A very good first paperback edition copy, film scene to front cover. Wear to one corner.
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A$15.54
The Postman Always Rings Twice
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The Postman Always Rings Twice

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Jacket Condition
Very Good
Edition
First Edition
Published
1934
Binding
Hardcover
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Woodstock, Illinois, USA
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Item Price
A$3,893.02

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Description:
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. Very Good in a Very Good jacket, unclipped ($2.00), generally toned, a larger chip at the foot of the spine, lesser chips along the edges. Orange cloth, darkened at the edges, with blue ink lettering and panels. Square, bound with some reading wear, blue top stain,… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$3,893.02
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE
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THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

by CAIN, James M

Condition
Used - Near Fine
Jacket Condition
Near Fine
Edition
Reprint
Published
1978
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0394725832
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Sherman Oaks, California, USA
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A$77.70

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NY: Vintage, 1978. NEAR FINE condition in NEAR FINE dust jacket. NY. Vintage. SOFTCOVER. 1978. FIRST VINTAGE PAPERBACK EDITION, FIRST Printing. AS NEW, bound in original taupe pictorial paper wraps. Square and tight, UNREAD, NO creasing. Very light edge wear to covers and toning to pages. Cover photograph by Richard L… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$77.70
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE

by CAIN, JAMES M.

Condition
Used
Edition
First edition
Published
1934
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA
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Item Price
A$5,827.88

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Description:
New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1934., 1934. First edition. First edition. Author's first book. Publisher's response card laid-in. A near fine copy with dark top-staining in dust jacket with light restoration by a paper conservator to corners, spine ends, and two small closed tears to top edge of front cover and with absolutely no sunning to the spine… Read more about this item
Item Price
A$5,827.88
The Postman Always Rings Twice (CRIME MASTERWORKS)

The Postman Always Rings Twice (CRIME MASTERWORKS)

by Cain, James M.

Condition
Used - Very Good
Binding
Paperback
ISBN 10
0752861743
Quantity Available
1
Seller
GORING BY SEA, West Sussex, GBR
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A$2.86

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Description:
Paperback. Very Good.
Item Price
A$2.86