# Is "Beds in the East" by Anthony Burgess a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Beds in the East by Anthony Burgess (William Heinemann, 1959) is identified by: First printing; the third and final volume of the Malayan Trilogy (collectively The Long Day Wanes), following Time for a Tiger (1956) and The Enemy in the Blanket (1958). UK Heinemann is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing; the third and final volume of the Malayan Trilogy (collectively The Long Day Wanes), following Time for a Tiger
- and The Enemy in the Blanket
- Octavo, 237 pp, original pictorial dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing; the third and final volume of the Malayan Trilogy (collectively The Long Day Wanes), following Time for a Tiger |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing; the third and final volume of the Malayan Trilogy (collectively The Long Day Wanes), following Time for a Tiger (1956) and The Enemy in the Blanket (1958). Octavo, 237 pp, original pictorial dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Beds in the East* by Anthony Burgess a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/beds-in-the-east
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.