# Is "After Strange Gods" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of After Strange Gods by T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1934) is identified by: Prose; 'A Primer of Modern Heresy' (the Page-Barbour lectures, delivered at the University of Virginia, 1933). UK Faber precedes the US Harcourt, Brace edition (also 1934).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Prose; 'A Primer of Modern Heresy' (the Page-Barbour lectures, delivered at the University of Virginia, 1933)
- First Faber edition
- Eliot later declined to reprint it, so it is comparatively scarce
- First printing per Faber convention
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Prose; 'A Primer of Modern Heresy' (the Page-Barbour lectures, delivered at the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Prose; 'A Primer of Modern Heresy' (the Page-Barbour lectures, delivered at the University of Virginia, 1933). First Faber edition. Eliot later declined to reprint it, so it is comparatively scarce. First printing per Faber convention.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber precedes the US Harcourt, Brace edition (also 1934).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *After Strange Gods* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/after-strange-gods
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.