# Is "A Sense of Reality" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Sense of Reality by Graham Greene (The Bodley Head, 1963) is identified by: First edition, first impression, The Bodley Head, London, 1963; octavo, 140 pages, bound in green cloth with gilt spine lettering. The UK Bodley Head 1963 first impression is the true first; the US Viking Press edition followed in 1963.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, The Bodley Head, London, 1963; octavo, 140 pages, bound in green cloth with gilt spine lettering
- Collects four pieces: the novella-length fantasy 'Under the Garden' together with the stories 'A Visit to Morin,' 'Dream of a Strange Land,' and 'A Discovery in the Woods.' Issued in a pictorial dust jacket with a yellow spine and black lettering; a first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, The Bodley Head, London, 1963; octavo, 140 pages, bound in green cloth with gilt spine lettering |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, The Bodley Head, London, 1963; octavo, 140 pages, bound in green cloth with gilt spine lettering. Collects four pieces: the novella-length fantasy 'Under the Garden' together with the stories 'A Visit to Morin,' 'Dream of a Strange Land,' and 'A Discovery in the Woods.' Issued in a pictorial dust jacket with a yellow spine and black lettering; a first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bodley Head 1963 first impression is the true first; the US Viking Press edition followed in 1963.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted for the first edition; identify the first by the 1963 Bodley Head imprint, green cloth with gilt spine, and the yellow-spined pictorial jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Sense of Reality* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-sense-of-reality
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.