# Is "Group Portrait with Lady (Gruppenbild mit Dame)" by Heinrich Böll a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Group Portrait with Lady (Gruppenbild mit Dame) by Heinrich Böll (McGraw-Hill, 1973) is identified by: First US edition in English, translated by Leila Vennewitz, published by McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973, with first printing stated on the copyright page (later impressions note additional printings). First in English is the McGraw-Hill US edition of 1973 (Vennewitz translation), with the UK Martin Secker & Warburg edition also appearing in 1973.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US edition in English, translated by Leila Vennewitz, published by McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973, with first printing stated on the copyright page (later impressions note additional printings)
- 405 pages
- Publisher imprint reads McGraw-Hill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Heinrich Böll |
| Publisher | McGraw-Hill |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US edition in English, translated by Leila Vennewitz, published by McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973, with first printing stated on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First US edition in English, translated by Leila Vennewitz, published by McGraw-Hill, New York, 1973, with first printing stated on the copyright page (later impressions note additional printings). 405 pages.

## Is this the true first?
First in English is the McGraw-Hill US edition of 1973 (Vennewitz translation), with the UK Martin Secker & Warburg edition also appearing in 1973. The German original was published by Kiepenheuer & Witsch in 1971. The novel was cited in connection with Böll's 1972 Nobel Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings note additional impressions on the copyright page; no major US book-club premium attaches to the points here.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Group Portrait with Lady (Gruppenbild mit Dame)* by Heinrich Böll a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/group-portrait-with-lady-gruppenbild-mit-dame
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.