# Is "Frenchman's Creek" by Daphne du Maurier a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier (Victor Gollancz, 1941) is identified by: Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 is the true first. UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 precedes the US Doubleday, Doran (New York) 1942 edition; both are collected, with the Gollancz issue the true first and generally the more sought-after.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 is the true first
- The first edition/first impression is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the characteristic Gollancz yellow (typographic) dust wrapper printed in reddish-purple and black, collating 206pp, with the price present at the jacket spine (unclipped)
- Gollancz used no number line — a first bears 'First published 1941' on the verso with no later-impression notice
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 is the true first |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 is the true first. The first edition/first impression is bound in blue cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the characteristic Gollancz yellow (typographic) dust wrapper printed in reddish-purple and black, collating 206pp, with the price present at the jacket spine (unclipped). Gollancz used no number line — a first bears 'First published 1941' on the verso with no later-impression notice.

## Is this the true first?
UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1941 precedes the US Doubleday, Doran (New York) 1942 edition; both are collected, with the Gollancz issue the true first and generally the more sought-after.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Doubleday, Doran 1942 is the American first; later Gollancz impressions and subsequent reprint/book-club editions follow and either state a later impression or appear in different jackets.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Frenchman's Creek* by Daphne du Maurier a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/frenchmans-creek
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.