# Is "Afternoon Men" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Afternoon Men by Anthony Powell (Gerald Duckworth, 1931) is identified by: First impression of Powell's first novel, published while he worked at Duckworth and personally oversaw its production; roughly 2,000 copies printed (Lilley A.1). London: Duckworth, 1931 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First impression of Powell's first novel, published while he worked at Duckworth and personally oversaw its production; roughly 2,000 copies printed (Lilley A.1)
- Issued in publisher's cloth (seen in both pale green and lilac) with the spine lettered in gilt
- The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Misha Black from an idea supplied by Powell, showing a wooden lay-figure (a painter's jointed model) tipsily swaying and mishandling a wineglass against a plain ground
- Scarce in the jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Gerald Duckworth
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Gerald Duckworth |
| Year | 1931 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First impression of Powell's first novel, published while he worked at Duckworth and personally oversaw its production; roughly 2,000… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First impression of Powell's first novel, published while he worked at Duckworth and personally oversaw its production; roughly 2,000 copies printed (Lilley A.1). Issued in publisher's cloth (seen in both pale green and lilac) with the spine lettered in gilt. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Misha Black from an idea supplied by Powell, showing a wooden lay-figure (a painter's jointed model) tipsily swaying and mishandling a wineglass against a plain ground. Scarce in the jacket.

## Is this the true first?
London: Duckworth, 1931 is the true first. The US edition (Henry Holt, New York) followed in 1932.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Afternoon Men* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/afternoon-men
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.