# Is "Cosmopolitans" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cosmopolitans by W. Somerset Maugham (Doubleday Doran, 1936) is identified by: Collection of very short stories. US Doubleday Doran is the true first; UK Heinemann followed in 1936.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collection of very short stories
- The US Doubleday Doran edition (Garden City, 1936) is the true first; dealer descriptions citing the Stott Maugham bibliography note it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by roughly a week
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | Doubleday Doran |
| Year | 1936 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collection of very short stories |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Collection of very short stories. The US Doubleday Doran edition (Garden City, 1936) is the true first; dealer descriptions citing the Stott Maugham bibliography note it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by roughly a week.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday Doran is the true first; UK Heinemann followed in 1936.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cosmopolitans* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cosmopolitans
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.