# Is "A Single Man" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood (Simon & Schuster, 1964) is identified by: First American edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1964, collating 186 pages, in black boards with the title stamped in silver on the spine; the dust jacket carries a mid-century design with the title in an orange panel and was designed by Isherwood's longtime partner Don Bachardy. Both the US Simon & Schuster and UK Methuen editions were published on October 29, 1964, and sources describe them as simultaneous or near-simultaneous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First American edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1964, collating 186 pages, in black boards with the title stamped in silver on the spine; the dust jacket carries a mid-century design with the title in an orange panel and was designed by Isherwood's longtime partner Don Bachardy
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price
- The UK Methuen edition, also 1964, collates 158 pages in grey paper-covered boards lettered in gilt and black with plain endpapers
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First American edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1964, collating 186 pages, in black boards with the title stamped in silver on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First American edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1964, collating 186 pages, in black boards with the title stamped in silver on the spine; the dust jacket carries a mid-century design with the title in an orange panel and was designed by Isherwood's longtime partner Don Bachardy. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price. The UK Methuen edition, also 1964, collates 158 pages in grey paper-covered boards lettered in gilt and black with plain endpapers.

## Is this the true first?
Both the US Simon & Schuster and UK Methuen editions were published on October 29, 1964, and sources describe them as simultaneous or near-simultaneous. The US Simon & Schuster edition is the standard American first; firm bibliographic precedence over the UK Methuen edition is not established, so neither can be declared the outright true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Single Man* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-single-man
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.