# Is "A Sort of Life" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Sort of Life by Graham Greene (The Bodley Head, 1971) is identified by: First edition, The Bodley Head, London, 1971, the copyright page stating 'First published 1971.' The first issue reads 'Sir John Barrie' on page 177, an error Greene made in referring to the author J. The Bodley Head London edition is the true first; a Simon & Schuster (US) edition followed in 1971.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, The Bodley Head, London, 1971, the copyright page stating 'First published 1971.' The first issue reads 'Sir John Barrie' on page 177, an error Greene made in referring to the author J. M. Barrie; this was corrected to 'J. M. Barrie' in the second state
- Issued in a typographic dust jacket designed by Michael Harvey with the printed price present
- First volume of Greene's autobiography
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, The Bodley Head, London, 1971, the copyright page stating 'First published 1971.' The first issue reads 'Sir John Barrie' on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, The Bodley Head, London, 1971, the copyright page stating 'First published 1971.' The first issue reads 'Sir John Barrie' on page 177, an error Greene made in referring to the author J. M. Barrie; this was corrected to 'J. M. Barrie' in the second state. Issued in a typographic dust jacket designed by Michael Harvey with the printed price present. First volume of Greene's autobiography.

## Is this the true first?
The Bodley Head London edition is the true first; a Simon & Schuster (US) edition followed in 1971.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted for the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Sort of Life* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-sort-of-life
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.