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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of First Person Singular by W. Somerset Maugham (Doubleday, Doran, 1931) is identified by: The US Doubleday, Doran edition, titled 'Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular' (Garden City, 1931), is the true first and precedes the UK Heinemann edition (titled 'First Person Singular') by roughly two weeks. US Doubleday, Doran precedes UK Heinemann by about two weeks, making the American edition the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Doubleday, Doran edition, titled 'Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular' (Garden City, 1931), is the true first and precedes the UK Heinemann edition (titled 'First Person Singular') by roughly two weeks
- The US first collates x, 299 pp.; the UK Heinemann states 'First Published 1931'
- The collection contains six stories: Virtue, The Round Dozen, The Human Element, Jane, The Alien Corn, and The Creative Impulse
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday, Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | Doubleday, Doran |
| Year | 1931 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Doubleday, Doran edition, titled 'Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular' (Garden City, 1931), is the true first and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The US Doubleday, Doran edition, titled 'Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular' (Garden City, 1931), is the true first and precedes the UK Heinemann edition (titled 'First Person Singular') by roughly two weeks. The US first collates x, 299 pp.; the UK Heinemann states 'First Published 1931'. The collection contains six stories: Virtue, The Round Dozen, The Human Element, Jane, The Alien Corn, and The Creative Impulse.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday, Doran precedes UK Heinemann by about two weeks, making the American edition the true first. Note the US title differs: 'Six Stories Written in the First Person Singular'.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *First Person Singular* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/first-person-singular
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.