# Is "Excellent Women" by Barbara Pym a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Excellent Women by Barbara Pym (Jonathan Cape, 1952) is identified by: First edition published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1952 — Pym's second novel, following Some Tame Gazelle (Cape, 1950) — a 12mo of 256 pp. Jonathan Cape (London) 1952 is the true first; no American edition appeared for over two decades — eight US publishers declined the manuscript in the early 1950s — until E.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1952 — Pym's second novel, following Some Tame Gazelle (Cape, 1950) — a 12mo of 256 pp. bound in blue cloth
- Issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the front flap); the front flap carries a review blurb by Marghanita Laski (as reported in dealer descriptions)
- Copyright page carries the 'First published 1952' Cape imprint with no later-impression line
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara Pym |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1952 — Pym's second novel, following Some Tame Gazelle (Cape, 1950) — a 12mo of 256 pp.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1952 — Pym's second novel, following Some Tame Gazelle (Cape, 1950) — a 12mo of 256 pp. bound in blue cloth. Issued in a priced dust jacket (price present at the front flap); the front flap carries a review blurb by Marghanita Laski (as reported in dealer descriptions). Copyright page carries the 'First published 1952' Cape imprint with no later-impression line.

## Is this the true first?
Jonathan Cape (London) 1952 is the true first; no American edition appeared for over two decades — eight US publishers declined the manuscript in the early 1950s — until E.P. Dutton (New York) issued the first American edition in 1978 amid Pym's rediscovery. The Cape first is the only period edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No contemporary UK book-club issue is recorded for the 1952 first; the E.P. Dutton 1978 and later Cape/Penguin reissues are 'first thus' reprints, not the first edition. Confirm the 1952 Cape imprint and the priced first-flap jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Excellent Women* by Barbara Pym a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/excellent-women
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.