# Is "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" by James Hilton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton (Little, Brown and Company, 1934) is identified by: The true first is the American Little, Brown (Boston) edition, published June 1934, in beige/tan cloth lettered in blue, unillustrated, in a first-state priced jacket. US precedes UK by roughly four months: Little, Brown, Boston (June 1934) is the true first; Hodder & Stoughton, London (October 1934) is the first English and first illustrated edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the American Little, Brown (Boston) edition, published June 1934, in beige/tan cloth lettered in blue, unillustrated, in a first-state priced jacket
- The story had appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (April 1934) before any book publication
- The London Hodder & Stoughton edition followed in October 1934 in royal blue cloth lettered in gilt and newly illustrated by Ethel 'Bip' Pares — a handsome later, secondary printing, not the true first
- Identify by the Little, Brown imprint and the June-vs-October 1934 precedence
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Hilton |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1934 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the American Little, Brown (Boston) edition, published June 1934, in beige/tan cloth lettered in blue, unillustrated, in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is the American Little, Brown (Boston) edition, published June 1934, in beige/tan cloth lettered in blue, unillustrated, in a first-state priced jacket. The story had appeared in The Atlantic Monthly (April 1934) before any book publication. The London Hodder & Stoughton edition followed in October 1934 in royal blue cloth lettered in gilt and newly illustrated by Ethel 'Bip' Pares — a handsome later, secondary printing, not the true first. Identify by the Little, Brown imprint and the June-vs-October 1934 precedence.

## Is this the true first?
US precedes UK by roughly four months: Little, Brown, Boston (June 1934) is the true first; Hodder & Stoughton, London (October 1934) is the first English and first illustrated edition. The illustrated UK issue is a classic 'first thus' trap frequently mistaken for the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Goodbye, Mr. Chips* by James Hilton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/goodbye-mr-chips
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.