# Is "A Private Country" by Lawrence Durrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Private Country by Lawrence Durrell (Faber & Faber, 1943) is identified by: First edition, Faber & Faber, London, 1943. UK Faber 1943 is the true first; no contemporary US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Faber & Faber, London, 1943
- A poetry collection and Durrell's first full collection from Faber, printed at the University Press, Glasgow
- Issued in grey cloth with a printed dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Durrell |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1943 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Faber & Faber, London, 1943 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Faber & Faber, London, 1943. A poetry collection and Durrell's first full collection from Faber, printed at the University Press, Glasgow. Issued in grey cloth with a printed dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber 1943 is the true first; no contemporary US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Durrell regarded this as his poetic debut, though two small pamphlets preceded it.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Private Country* by Lawrence Durrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-private-country
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.