# Is "Creatures of Circumstance" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Creatures of Circumstance by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1947) is identified by: First edition of this collection of short stories, published by William Heinemann in London in 1947, preceding the Doubleday first American edition of the same year. The London Heinemann printing is the true first; the Doubleday US edition (1947) is the first American edition and follows it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition of this collection of short stories, published by William Heinemann in London in 1947, preceding the Doubleday first American edition of the same year
- Issued in publisher's red cloth boards lettered and decorated in silver on the spine and front board, and collating to 310 pages
- The first-state dust jacket carries a red patterned design with a dark red title field to the front panel and spine lettered in white; the front flap should retain its printed price, and a price-clipped example does not disqualify the jacket as first-state so long as the design is correct
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition of this collection of short stories, published by William Heinemann in London in 1947, preceding the Doubleday first American… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition of this collection of short stories, published by William Heinemann in London in 1947, preceding the Doubleday first American edition of the same year. Issued in publisher's red cloth boards lettered and decorated in silver on the spine and front board, and collating to 310 pages. The first-state dust jacket carries a red patterned design with a dark red title field to the front panel and spine lettered in white; the front flap should retain its printed price, and a price-clipped example does not disqualify the jacket as first-state so long as the design is correct.

## Is this the true first?
The London Heinemann printing is the true first; the Doubleday US edition (1947) is the first American edition and follows it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is noted for the first appearance.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Creatures of Circumstance* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/creatures-of-circumstance
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.