# Is "Clea" by Lawrence Durrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Clea by Lawrence Durrell (Faber & Faber, 1960) is identified by: First edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1960. UK Faber 1960 is the true first; the US E.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1960
- The fourth and final volume of The Alexandria Quartet
- Red cloth with a pictorial dust jacket; the unclipped jacket carries the original British price
- The UK Faber printing precedes the US E. P. Dutton edition, also dated 1960
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Durrell |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1960 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, Faber and Faber, London, 1960. The fourth and final volume of The Alexandria Quartet. Red cloth with a pictorial dust jacket; the unclipped jacket carries the original British price. The UK Faber printing precedes the US E. P. Dutton edition, also dated 1960.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber 1960 is the true first; the US E. P. Dutton edition of the same year follows it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings came later and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Clea* by Lawrence Durrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/clea
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.