# Is "Arabian Sands" by Wilfred Thesiger a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Arabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger (Longmans, Green & Co., 1959) is identified by: First edition, first impression: Longmans, Green and Co. The UK Longmans (London), 1959 issue is the true first and the collected first edition; the E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression: Longmans, Green and Co
- Ltd, London, 1959, carrying a 'First published 1959' statement with no later-impression line
- Binding is original beige/tan cloth with the spine lettered in black and gilt; the book has a frontispiece, 46 plates, and 8 maps to the text, plus a twelve-panel folding map of the Empty Quarter in a pocket at the rear — the folding map present and intact is the key completeness point for a first
- The pictorial dust jacket has the price present at the flap (priced jacket, unclipped)
- This was Thesiger's first book
- Publisher imprint reads Longmans, Green & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Wilfred Thesiger |
| Publisher | Longmans, Green & Co. |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression: Longmans, Green and Co |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression: Longmans, Green and Co. Ltd, London, 1959, carrying a 'First published 1959' statement with no later-impression line. Binding is original beige/tan cloth with the spine lettered in black and gilt; the book has a frontispiece, 46 plates, and 8 maps to the text, plus a twelve-panel folding map of the Empty Quarter in a pocket at the rear — the folding map present and intact is the key completeness point for a first. The pictorial dust jacket has the price present at the flap (priced jacket, unclipped). This was Thesiger's first book.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Longmans (London), 1959 issue is the true first and the collected first edition; the E.P. Dutton (New York) edition also appeared in 1959 but the London printing holds precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue tell documented in the sources consulted for the 1959 first; verify any copy against the 'First published 1959' statement and the intact rear-pocket map.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Arabian Sands* by Wilfred Thesiger a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/arabian-sands
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.