# Is "HMS Ulysses" by Alistair MacLean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of HMS Ulysses by Alistair MacLean (Collins, 1955) is identified by: Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period; the first impression is identified by the absence of any impression or reprint line on the copyright page. The census claim holds.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period; the first impression is identified by the absence of any impression or reprint line on the copyright page
- This point carries unusual weight here because the book was an immediate bestseller and Collins reprinted at speed — a second impression followed in November 1955, within weeks of the October 1955 publication, and later impressions are noted on the copyright page
- 320 pages, bound in red cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with illustrated endpapers: a map at the front and a diagrammatic drawing of the ship at the rear
- The pictorial dust jacket is credited to John Rose; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy
- Collins advance review copies of this title exist and are a separate state
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alistair MacLean |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period; the first impression is identified by the absence of any impression or… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period; the first impression is identified by the absence of any impression or reprint line on the copyright page. This point carries unusual weight here because the book was an immediate bestseller and Collins reprinted at speed — a second impression followed in November 1955, within weeks of the October 1955 publication, and later impressions are noted on the copyright page. 320 pages, bound in red cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with illustrated endpapers: a map at the front and a diagrammatic drawing of the ship at the rear. The pictorial dust jacket is credited to John Rose; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy. Collins advance review copies of this title exist and are a separate state.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim holds. The true first is Collins (London), 1955 — published October 1955, MacLean's debut novel. The American first is Doubleday (Garden City, New York), 1956, and follows the Collins; it is collected as the US first. Note a cataloguing hazard: a minority of dealer listings date the Collins edition 1956, which reflects later impressions or careless cataloguing rather than a genuine 1956 Collins first. The Collins first is the 1955.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Companion Book Club (London) issued the novel in 1957, bound in blue cloth rather than the Collins red — this is the most common book-club confusion for the title, and such copies are frequently mis-listed as "first edition" because the club printed its own first. Fontana paperbacks from 1960 onward are reprints. Standard tells otherwise apply: no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and cheaper bulk.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *HMS Ulysses* by Alistair MacLean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hms-ulysses
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.