# Is "Gaudy Night" by Dorothy L. Sayers a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (Victor Gollancz, 1935) is identified by: UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1935, in black cloth with the characteristic Gollancz yellow printed dust jacket in black and red typographic design. UK Gollancz 1935 is the true first and precedes the US Harcourt, Brace edition of 1936.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1935, in black cloth with the characteristic Gollancz yellow printed dust jacket in black and red typographic design
- A cornerstone Wimsey and Harriet Vane novel
- The first printing shows no later-impression line on the copyright page
- The fragile Gollancz jacket of this period rarely survives, so a first in jacket is genuinely scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dorothy L. Sayers |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1935, in black cloth with the characteristic Gollancz yellow printed dust jacket in black and red… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Victor Gollancz first edition, London, 1935, in black cloth with the characteristic Gollancz yellow printed dust jacket in black and red typographic design. A cornerstone Wimsey and Harriet Vane novel. The first printing shows no later-impression line on the copyright page. The fragile Gollancz jacket of this period rarely survives, so a first in jacket is genuinely scarce.

## Is this the true first?
UK Gollancz 1935 is the true first and precedes the US Harcourt, Brace edition of 1936.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Harcourt US edition is a first-thus. Book-club and later Gollancz impressions are stated as such on the verso of the title leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gaudy Night* by Dorothy L. Sayers a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gaudy-night
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.