# Is "Basil Seal Rides Again" by Evelyn Waugh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Basil Seal Rides Again by Evelyn Waugh (Chapman & Hall, 1963) is identified by: Issued only as a signed limited edition: 750 copies from Chapman & Hall (London) and 1000 copies from Little, Brown (US), each signed by Waugh on the limitation page. Both the UK Chapman & Hall (750 copies) and US Little, Brown (1000 copies) issues are signed limited editions published in 1963; neither precedes the other as a single 'true first' trade edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued only as a signed limited edition: 750 copies from Chapman & Hall (London) and 1000 copies from Little, Brown (US), each signed by Waugh on the limitation page
- Full title Basil Seal Rides Again, or The Rake's Regress; blue cloth, gilt, with a color frontispiece by Kathleen Hale
- First book appearance of a story first printed in Esquire and the Sunday Telegraph
- Waugh's last published fiction
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman & Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Evelyn Waugh |
| Publisher | Chapman & Hall |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued only as a signed limited edition: 750 copies from Chapman & Hall (London) and 1000 copies from Little, Brown (US), each signed by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Issued only as a signed limited edition: 750 copies from Chapman & Hall (London) and 1000 copies from Little, Brown (US), each signed by Waugh on the limitation page. Full title Basil Seal Rides Again, or The Rake's Regress; blue cloth, gilt, with a color frontispiece by Kathleen Hale. First book appearance of a story first printed in Esquire and the Sunday Telegraph. Waugh's last published fiction.

## Is this the true first?
Both the UK Chapman & Hall (750 copies) and US Little, Brown (1000 copies) issues are signed limited editions published in 1963; neither precedes the other as a single 'true first' trade edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Limited issue only; no trade or book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Basil Seal Rides Again* by Evelyn Waugh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/basil-seal-rides-again
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.