Aldous Huxley First Editions

• Limbo — 1920 · Chatto & WindusHuxley's first published volume of fiction (the short-story collection 'Limbo: Six Stories and a Play'), preceding Crome Yellow. UK Chatto & Windus 1920 is the first issue; a US George H. Doran edition also appeared in 1920. UK Chatto & Windus 1920 is the true first; US George H. Doran 1920 follows. No book-club issue.
• Crome Yellow — 1921 · Chatto & WindusHuxley's first novel. First edition in original yellow cloth with a green-printed paper title label on the spine, top edge stained green, fore and lower edges untrimmed; 325 pages, printed by Morrison and Gibb, Edinburgh; no later printings stated on the copyright page. UK Chatto & Windus 1921 precedes the US George H. Doran edition of 1922. UK Chatto & Windus 1921 is the true first; US George H. Doran 1922 follows. No book-club issue.
• Mortal Coils — 1922 · Chatto & WindusCollection of five pieces: 'The Gioconda Smile', 'Permutations Among the Nightingales' (cast in the form of a play), 'The Tillotson Banquet', 'Green Tunnels', and 'Nuns at Luncheon'. Published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1922, in octavo (about 229 pages, 20 cm). The first edition is bound in light blue full cloth with a white paper spine label lettered in black, the top edge stained blue, and top and fore-edges…. The UK Chatto & Windus 1922 issue in blue cloth with the paper spine label is the true first; the US George H. Doran 1922 edition, sharing the same contents, follows. No book-club issue.
• Antic Hay — 1923 · Chatto & WindusSatirical novel, about 328 pages with deckle edges. The true first is the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1923, published ahead of the US George H. Doran edition of the same year. Bound in the publisher's yellow cloth with the title on a printed paper label to the spine (the fragile label is often chipped or perished; some copies carry a publisher-supplied replacement label tipped in at the rear). The uncommon…. UK Chatto & Windus 1923 is the true first edition; the US George H. Doran edition of 1923 follows. Precedence is UK first, then US. No book-club issue.
• Little Mexican — 1924 · Chatto & WindusThird short-story collection, 'Little Mexican and Other Stories' (six stories: Uncle Spencer, Little Mexican, Hubert and Minnie, Fard, The Portrait, Young Archimedes). The US edition was retitled 'Young Archimedes and Other Stories' (George H. Doran, 1924) — a title point distinguishing the two issues. UK Chatto & Windus 1924 under the title 'Little Mexican' is the true first; the US issue appeared the same year as 'Young Archimedes'. Title differs between markets: UK 'Little Mexican', US 'Young Archimedes'.
• Along the Road — 1925 · Chatto & WindusFirst printing of the travel essays, subtitled 'Notes and Essays of a Tourist', published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1925. Issued in pale grey-green cloth with a printed paper label mounted on the spine, with a dull green top-edge stain and the fore- and bottom edges untrimmed. The George H. Doran US edition, also 1925, is a distinct issue bound in paper-covered boards with a vellum spine and gilt-lettered…. The UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1925, in pale grey-green cloth with a paper spine label and green top-stain, is the true first; the US edition was published by George H. Doran, New York, the same year. No book-club issue; later Chatto printings, including the Phoenix Library series reprint, follow the 1925 first and are not the true first.
• Those Barren Leaves — 1925 · Chatto & WindusSatirical novel in original blue cloth with a paper title label on the spine. UK Chatto & Windus 1925 precedes the US George H. Doran edition of 1925. A signed limited issue of 250 numbered copies was also produced alongside the ordinary trade first. UK Chatto & Windus 1925 is the true first; US George H. Doran 1925 follows. No book-club issue. A signed limited issue of 250 numbered copies exists in addition to the trade first.
• Jesting Pilate — 1926 · Chatto & WindusFirst printing of the travel diary, subtitled The Diary of a Journey, published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1926. Bound in publisher's pale blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo, collating 291 pages plus preliminaries. Illustrated with 14 photographic plates, including the frontispiece, reproducing scenes from Huxley's journey through India, Burma, Malaya, the Pacific and America. A first-issue…. The Chatto & Windus London edition of 1926 is the true first. The US edition, published by George H. Doran, New York, also 1926, follows the British printing and is a separate setting. No book-club issue.
• Two or Three Graces — 1926 · Chatto & WindusFull title 'Two or Three Graces and Other Stories'; octavo, roughly 272 pages, first printing of the four stories/novellas (Two or Three Graces; Half-Holiday; The Monocle; Fairy Godmother), in publisher's dark blue cloth stamped in gilt. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; the US edition, published by George H. Doran, New York, also 1926, is issued in dark green cloth with a printed paper spine label. No book-club issue.
• Proper Studies — 1927 · Chatto & WindusFirst trade printing of the essays (xix, 299 pp., octavo), in publisher's plain green cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, with a green-tinted top edge. Issued in a cream dust jacket printed in dull green; the printed jacket price should be present, and copies came from the publisher unclipped. Note that a separate signed limited edition of 260 copies also appeared in 1927, bound in quarter red cloth over marbled…. The UK Chatto & Windus edition is the true first, issued in 1927 in both a signed limited state (260 numbered copies, quarter red cloth over marbled boards) and the ordinary green-cloth trade state. The US first American edition followed from Doubleday, Doran (New York) in 1928, bound in plum cloth with a spine label and stated a first edition on the copyright page. No book-club issue.
• Point Counter Point — 1928 · Chatto & WindusFirst trade edition in green cloth, no further printings stated on the copyright page; a signed limited edition of 256 numbered copies, each signed by Huxley, was issued concurrently by Chatto & Windus. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; US edition published by Doubleday, Doran 1928. The 256-copy signed limited is the premium issue. Signed limited of 256 copies versus the trade issue; no book-club issue.
• Do What You Will — 1929 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of the twelve essays, Chatto & Windus, London, 1929 ([viii] + 310 pp., octavo). Two issues appeared simultaneously: the ordinary trade issue in cloth, and a signed limited issue of 260 numbered copies bound with a green cloth spine over yellow-and-white patterned paper-covered boards, gilt lettering to the spine, top edge gilt and other edges untrimmed, each signed by Huxley on the limitation leaf. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; the US edition was published by Doubleday, Doran, Garden City, also 1929. The signed limited issue of 260 numbered copies stands apart from the ordinary trade issue; there is no book-club issue.
• Brief Candles — 1930 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of Huxley's collection of four stories (Chawdron; The Rest Cure; The Claxtons; After the Fireworks). The trade first is in red cloth. A signed limited edition of 842 numbered copies, signed by Huxley on the half-title and bound in black cloth, was also issued. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first. A concurrent New York edition was issued by The Fountain Press in 1930. Confirm the Chatto imprint and 1930 dating. Distinguish the signed limited issue from the ordinary trade printing; no book-club edition is a point of issue here.
• Music at Night and Other Essays — 1931 · The Fountain PressThe first edition is the signed limited issue printed for The Fountain Press, limited to 842 numbered copies signed by Huxley (distributed in America by Random House and in Britain by Chatto & Windus). Chatto & Windus then issued the ordinary trade edition. Precedence belongs to the Fountain Press signed limited rather than to a plain Chatto trade printing. Chatto & Windus distributed the limited in Britain and published the trade edition; describing Chatto as the outright true first is misleading. The key distinction is the signed Fountain Press limited versus the Chatto trade edition, not a book-club issue.
• Brave New World — 1932 · Chatto & WindusTrade first: Chatto & Windus, London, published 2 February 1932, in publisher's blue cloth lettered and tooled in gilt to the spine, the top edge stained dark blue and the lower edge rough-trimmed. The dust jacket carries its printed net price at the spine — an unclipped first-state jacket shows the original published price there, and a clipped or price-absent flap is a caution. Issued concurrently: a signed…. Both the UK trade issue and the UK 324-copy signed limited were published together on 2 February 1932. The signed limited is the deluxe state; the ordinary Chatto & Windus trade issue is the true first of the general edition. The US Doubleday, Doran edition (1932) follows the London printing — UK precedes US. US and book-club copies are not the UK first. Later book-club reprints are typically on cheaper bulked paper with an unpriced jacket (no net price at the spine), and later US book-club printings often carry a small blind stamp to the rear board. The signed limited, by contrast, is numbered on its limitation leaf and slipcased.
• Texts and Pretexts — 1932 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of the anthology with Huxley's own commentaries (full title Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries), London, Chatto & Windus, 1932. Octavo, viii and 312 pages, issued uncut in blue-green cloth with the title gilt-lettered on the spine and a blue top edge. The first-state jacket carries bright horizontal-line cover art with the title lettered on the front and spine; it should be present…. UK Chatto & Windus (1932) is the true first; the US Harper edition followed in 1933. Confirm the 1932 Chatto imprint. No book-club issue is a point of issue for the first.
• Beyond the Mexique Bay — 1934 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of Huxley's travel book on Central America (Guatemala and Mexico), in ochre cloth with gilt spine lettering, brown-tinted top edge, with map endpapers and photographic plates. A signed limited edition of about 210 numbered copies was also issued. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; the US Harper & Brothers edition also appeared in 1934. Confirm the Chatto imprint and 1934 dating. No book-club issue is a point here; note also that a signed limited issue exists alongside the ordinary trade printing.
• Eyeless in Gaza — 1936 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of the novel, in cloth-backed patterned paper boards with gilt-lettered spine and top edge gilt on the limited. A signed limited edition of 200 numbered copies, signed by Huxley on the limitation page, was issued alongside the ordinary trade first; UK Chatto & Windus 1936 precedes the US Harper edition. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; the US Harper edition also appeared in 1936. Confirm the Chatto imprint. No book-club issue is a point; distinguish the signed limited of 200 from the ordinary trade printing.
• The Olive Tree and Other Essays — 1936 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition of the essay collection (includes 'T.H. Huxley as a Literary Man,' 'Time and the Machine,' and the title essay), in olive-green gilt-lettered cloth with top edge gilt on the limited. A signed limited edition of 160 numbered copies, signed by Huxley on the colophon, was also issued. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first; the US Harper edition followed in 1937. Confirm the 1936 Chatto imprint. No book-club issue is a point; distinguish the signed limited of 160 from the ordinary trade printing.
• Ends and Means — 1937 · Chatto & WindusFirst printing of Huxley's volume of pacifist and ethical essays (full title an enquiry into the nature of ideals and into the methods employed for their realization). Issued by Chatto & Windus, London, in 1937. The UK Chatto & Windus edition is the established first edition; Harper & Brothers issued the American edition the same year (1937), often described as concurrent but cataloged as the first American edition. No book-club issue at first publication.
• After Many a Summer — 1939 · Chatto & WindusFirst printing under the original UK title After Many a Summer (Chatto & Windus, London, 1939). The American edition (Harper & Brothers, 1939) carries the expanded title After Many a Summer Dies the Swan. UK Chatto & Windus is the true first under the shorter title; the US Harper edition appeared the same year with the fuller title. Title wording is the key distinguishing point. Differing US and UK titles distinguish the two editions.
• Grey Eminence — 1941 · Chatto & WindusFirst printing of Huxley's biography of Father Joseph (full title Grey Eminence: A Study in Religion and Politics), Chatto & Windus, London, 1941. Octavo, 278 pages, issued in publisher's dove-grey cloth boards lettered on the spine in gilt, with eight monochrome plates (a list of seven illustrations plus the frontispiece precedes the text) and rough-cut edges. A publisher's note on the illustration list records…. Both the UK Chatto & Windus and the US Harper & Brothers editions are dated 1941; the British edition is generally cited as the first published, with the Harper printing as the first American edition. Exact day-precedence between the two is not crisply documented. No book-club issue at first publication.
• The Art of Seeing — 1942 · Harper & BrothersFirst printing of Huxley's book on the Bates method of vision improvement, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1942, an octavo of 273 pages bound in green cloth (buckram) with the title and author stamped in gilt on the front cover. The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'FIRST EDITION' with the Harper code 'I-R'. It preceded the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943, reflecting Huxley's residence…. US Harper & Brothers (1942) is the true first, identified by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' and the Harper 'I-R' code, ahead of the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943. No book-club issue at first publication; the American Harper jacket is notoriously fragile and scarce in presentable condition.
• Time Must Have a Stop — 1944 · Harper & BrothersFirst printing of the novel: Harper & Brothers, New York, 1944, preceding the UK edition. Harper first printings are identified by the letter date code on the copyright page; for this title the code reads G-T, where G denotes the month (July) and T denotes the year (1944), confirming the first impression. US Harper & Brothers (1944) is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition followed in 1945. No book-club issue at first publication; a first printing shows the G-T code and no later-printing statement, whereas reprints alter or drop the code.
• The Perennial Philosophy — 1945 · Harper & BrothersFirst printing of Huxley's anthology and commentary on mysticism. Harper & Brothers, New York, 1945, preceding the UK edition. Harper first printings carry the issue code on the copyright page identifying the first impression. US Harper & Brothers (1945) is the true first; the UK Chatto & Windus edition followed in 1946. No book-club issue at first publication.
• Ape and Essence — 1948 · Harper & BrothersFirst US edition, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1948, the post-apocalyptic novel cast partly as a film scenario. The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'FIRST EDITION' with the Harper printer's code 'F-X' beneath it. Bound in blue cloth with the Harper device and spine stamped in light blue and gilt, the fore-edge untrimmed. The US edition precedes the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1949. US Harper & Brothers 1948 is the true first, identified by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' and the 'F-X' Harper code; UK Chatto & Windus followed in 1949. No book-club issue of the true first; later printings lack the 'F-X' code on the copyright page.
• The Devils of Loudun — 1952 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition, first impression, Chatto & Windus, London, 1952; orange cloth, gilt spine lettering, frontispiece portrait of Urbain Grandier plus further plates and a bibliography. A Harper & Brothers edition also appeared in New York in 1952. Both the London (Chatto & Windus) and New York (Harper & Brothers) editions are dated 1952; a firm priority of one country's edition over the other is not established by the standard bibliographies, so the UK edition cannot be asserted as the unambiguous true first. No book-club issue of the true first.
• The Doors of Perception — 1954 · Harper & BrothersFirst edition of the mescaline essay, 1954, issued by Harper & Brothers in New York and by Chatto & Windus in London. The Harper New York edition is the one generally treated as the first; the editions are at best simultaneous and the UK edition does not precede it. The original record's claim that the UK Chatto edition precedes the US Harper edition is not supported. Sources indicate New York Harper as the first (or, at minimum, simultaneous publication in 1954); the UK edition cannot be presented as preceding the US. No book-club issue of the true first.
• The Genius and the Goddess — 1955 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition, 1955, published in London by Chatto & Windus and in New York by Harper & Brothers; the US Harper printing carries a 'First edition' statement on the copyright page. Both editions are dated 1955. Both the London (Chatto & Windus) and New York (Harper & Brothers) editions appeared in 1955 and a firm priority is not established; the UK edition cannot be asserted as the unambiguous true first over the US edition. No book-club issue of the true first.
• Heaven and Hell — 1956 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition, 1956, of the sequel essay to The Doors of Perception. The London Chatto & Windus issue is in publisher's red cloth stamped in gilt on the spine, in a blue dust jacket bearing two overlapping circles on the front panel lettered in red and white, the jacket designed by John Woodcock. The New York Harper & Brothers issue is in two-tone blue cloth with orange spine lettering under a pictorial jacket.…. Both the London (Chatto & Windus) and New York (Harper & Brothers) editions appeared in 1956 and a firm priority of one over the other is not established by the standard bibliographies; the UK edition cannot be asserted as the unambiguous true first. No book-club issue of the true first.
• Brave New World Revisited — 1958 · Harper & BrothersFirst edition, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1958, of this nonfiction reassessment of Brave New World; 147 pages. The stated first printing is denoted by the Harper letter code 'K-H' on the copyright page (Harper's month-and-year code system, with no later dated codes present). Bound with black paper-covered boards and a contrasting cloth spine (commonly turquoise/blue-grey) lettered in black. Issued in a dust…. US Harper & Brothers 1958 is the true first; UK Chatto & Windus followed in 1959. No book-club issue of the true first.
• Island — 1962 · Chatto & WindusFirst edition, first impression in publisher's cloth with dust jacket. Huxley's last novel, a utopian counterpart to Brave New World. The UK Chatto & Windus edition is the true first; the US Harper edition followed the same year. UK Chatto & Windus 1962 is the true first. The US Harper edition is also dated 1962 but is treated as the secondary issue, Huxley being a British author published by Chatto. No book-club issue identified for the first appearance.

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