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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Don Fernando by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1935) is identified by: First edition, full title 'Don Fernando: or Variations on Some Spanish Themes', published by Heinemann in 1935 (268 pp.); the US Doubleday, Doran edition (1935, 307 pp.) is designated 'First American'. UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Doubleday, Doran 'First American' followed in 1935.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, full title 'Don Fernando: or Variations on Some Spanish Themes', published by Heinemann in 1935 (268 pp.); the US Doubleday, Doran edition (1935, 307 pp.) is designated 'First American'
- A reflective work on Spain in the Golden Age
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, full title 'Don Fernando: or Variations on Some Spanish Themes', published by Heinemann in 1935 (268 pp.); the US Doubleday… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, full title 'Don Fernando: or Variations on Some Spanish Themes', published by Heinemann in 1935 (268 pp.); the US Doubleday, Doran edition (1935, 307 pp.) is designated 'First American'. A reflective work on Spain in the Golden Age.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Doubleday, Doran 'First American' followed in 1935.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later revised text appeared in the Collected/Heinemann edition (around 1950, described as 'new and completely revised'); the revised text differs from the 1935 first.

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