# Is "Jesting Pilate" by Aldous Huxley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jesting Pilate by Aldous Huxley (Chatto & Windus, 1926) is identified by: First printing of the travel diary, subtitled The Diary of a Journey, published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1926. The Chatto & Windus London edition of 1926 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the travel diary, subtitled The Diary of a Journey, published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1926
- Bound in publisher's pale blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo, collating 291 pages plus preliminaries
- Illustrated with 14 photographic plates, including the frontispiece, reproducing scenes from Huxley's journey through India, Burma, Malaya, the Pacific and America
- A first-issue jacket should retain its printed price and the Chatto & Windus imprint
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Aldous Huxley |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the travel diary, subtitled The Diary of a Journey, published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1926 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of the travel diary, subtitled The Diary of a Journey, published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1926. Bound in publisher's pale blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo, collating 291 pages plus preliminaries. Illustrated with 14 photographic plates, including the frontispiece, reproducing scenes from Huxley's journey through India, Burma, Malaya, the Pacific and America. A first-issue jacket should retain its printed price and the Chatto & Windus imprint.

## Is this the true first?
The Chatto & Windus London edition of 1926 is the true first. The US edition, published by George H. Doran, New York, also 1926, follows the British printing and is a separate setting.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jesting Pilate* by Aldous Huxley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jesting-pilate
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.