The points of issue
Published in 1949 in both London (William Heinemann) and New York (Doubleday & Co.). Each publisher issued an ordinary trade edition and a signed, numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Per the Stott bibliography, the Heinemann limited edition (blue cloth, vellum spine, leather label, top edge gilt) was issued simultaneously with but printed after the Heinemann trade edition.
Is this the true first?
Both UK Heinemann and US Doubleday editions are dated 1949; reliable sources do not firmly fix international precedence, so the Heinemann edition is best described as the British first rather than a confirmed world first. Each has a separate signed limited issue of 1,000 copies.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish the ordinary trade edition from the signed, numbered limited of 1,000 copies; the limited was printed after the trade edition at Heinemann.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Writer's Notebook a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Published in 1949 in both London (William Heinemann) and New York (Doubleday & Co.). Each publisher issued an ordinary trade edition and a signed, numbered limited edition of 1,000 copies. Per the Stott bibliography, the Heinemann limited edition (blue cloth, vellum spine, leather label, top edge gilt) was issued simultaneously with but printed after the Heinemann trade edition.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Both UK Heinemann and US Doubleday editions are dated 1949; reliable sources do not firmly fix international precedence, so the Heinemann edition is best described as the British first rather than a confirmed world first. Each has a separate signed limited issue of 1,000 copies.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Distinguish the ordinary trade edition from the signed, numbered limited of 1,000 copies; the limited was printed after the trade edition at Heinemann.
I have a first edition of A Writer's Notebook — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.