# Is "Books Do Furnish a Room" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Books Do Furnish a Room by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1971) is identified by: First printing of the tenth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, opening the final trilogy of the sequence. The Heinemann London edition of 1971 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the tenth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, opening the final trilogy of the sequence
- Issued in publisher's red cloth, the spine lettered in gilt on a black ground
- The dust jacket is by James Broom-Lynne; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed net price on the front flap and is not price-clipped in first state
- Broom-Lynne jackets on this title are commonly found lightly tanned along the spine
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the tenth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, opening the final trilogy of the sequence |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing of the tenth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, opening the final trilogy of the sequence. Issued in publisher's red cloth, the spine lettered in gilt on a black ground. The dust jacket is by James Broom-Lynne; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed net price on the front flap and is not price-clipped in first state. Broom-Lynne jackets on this title are commonly found lightly tanned along the spine.

## Is this the true first?
The Heinemann London edition of 1971 is the true first. The US edition was published by Little, Brown (Boston) in 1971, stated 'First American edition,' and follows the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club and reprint-society printings followed the trade first and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Books Do Furnish a Room* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/books-do-furnish-a-room
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.