# Is "A Handful of Dust" by Evelyn Waugh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh (Chapman & Hall, 1934) is identified by: London: Chapman & Hall, 1934. The UK Chapman & Hall edition (1934) precedes the US Farrar & Rinehart edition (1934).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Chapman & Hall, 1934. 'First published in 1934' on the title verso
- Bound not in plain cloth but in the distinctive black-and-red snakeskin-patterned cloth, spine lettered in gilt, with a frontispiece of Hetton by J. D. M. Harvey
- First-issue pictorial dust jacket printed in black and red
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman & Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Evelyn Waugh |
| Publisher | Chapman & Hall |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Chapman & Hall, 1934. 'First published in 1934' on the title verso |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Chapman & Hall, 1934. 'First published in 1934' on the title verso. Bound not in plain cloth but in the distinctive black-and-red snakeskin-patterned cloth, spine lettered in gilt, with a frontispiece of Hetton by J. D. M. Harvey. First-issue pictorial dust jacket printed in black and red.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Chapman & Hall edition (1934) precedes the US Farrar & Rinehart edition (1934). The US serial/book version carries an alternate ending different from the UK book text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add an impression statement to the title verso.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Handful of Dust* by Evelyn Waugh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-handful-of-dust
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.