# Is "High Windows" by Philip Larkin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of High Windows by Philip Larkin (Faber & Faber, 1974) is identified by: Larkin's last full collection. UK Faber (1974) is the true first; the US Farrar, Straus & Giroux edition (1974) is the first American.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Larkin's last full collection
- UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 3 June 1974 in an edition of about 6,142 copies
- Demy octavo, 42 pages, bound in pale grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with a glossy white dust jacket printed in grey (UK price 1.40 on the flap)
- The copyright page reads 'first published in 1974'; first impressions carry no later-printing line
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Philip Larkin |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Larkin's last full collection |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Larkin's last full collection. UK Faber first edition, first impression, published 3 June 1974 in an edition of about 6,142 copies. Demy octavo, 42 pages, bound in pale grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with a glossy white dust jacket printed in grey (UK price 1.40 on the flap). The copyright page reads 'first published in 1974'; first impressions carry no later-printing line.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber (1974) is the true first; the US Farrar, Straus & Giroux edition (1974) is the first American.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later impressions add a reprint line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *High Windows* by Philip Larkin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/high-windows
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.