# Is "Hell Hath No Fury (The Hot Spot)" by Charles Williams a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hell Hath No Fury (The Hot Spot) by Charles Williams (Gold Medal Books, 1953) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #286 (1953), the printed price. Paperback is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #286
- , the printed price
- Paperback wraps only
- Gold Medal logo and number 286; basis for the film 'The Hot Spot.' First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Gold Medal Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Charles Williams |
| Publisher | Gold Medal Books |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #286 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original, Fawcett Gold Medal #286 (1953), the printed price. Paperback wraps only. Gold Medal logo and number 286; basis for the film 'The Hot Spot.' First printing has the original price and no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
Paperback is the true first. Reissued as 'The Hot Spot' (film tie-in, after 1990); tie-in editions are reprints/first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The Gold Medal #286 titled 'Hell Hath No Fury' is the true first; 'The Hot Spot' retitlings postdate the 1990 film.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hell Hath No Fury (The Hot Spot)* by Charles Williams a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hell-hath-no-fury-the-hot-spot
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.