# Is "Journey into Fear" by Eric Ambler a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Journey into Fear by Eric Ambler (Hodder & Stoughton, 1940) is identified by: Hodder & Stoughton (London, 1940): the first edition collates 320 pages, octavo, and is bound in the publisher's blue cloth — described by dealers as light blue — lettered in black on the spine, issued in a dust jacket with the price present at the flap. Census claim confirmed, with one caveat stated plainly.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hodder & Stoughton (London, 1940): the first edition collates 320 pages, octavo, and is bound in the publisher's blue cloth — described by dealers as light blue — lettered in black on the spine, issued in a dust jacket with the price present at the flap
- Knopf (New York, 1940): the copyright page carries a "First American Edition" statement with no mention of a later printing; the volume collates 275 plus [1] pages and is bound in orange cloth, described by some dealers as salmon, stamped and lettered in blue, with the top edge stained blue, in a priced dust jacket
- The two settings are told apart on collation alone — 320 pages against 275 — before any binding comparison is needed
- Publisher imprint reads Hodder & Stoughton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eric Ambler |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hodder & Stoughton (London, 1940): the first edition collates 320 pages, octavo, and is bound in the publisher's blue cloth — described by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Hodder & Stoughton (London, 1940): the first edition collates 320 pages, octavo, and is bound in the publisher's blue cloth — described by dealers as light blue — lettered in black on the spine, issued in a dust jacket with the price present at the flap. Knopf (New York, 1940): the copyright page carries a "First American Edition" statement with no mention of a later printing; the volume collates 275 plus [1] pages and is bound in orange cloth, described by some dealers as salmon, stamped and lettered in blue, with the top edge stained blue, in a priced dust jacket. The two settings are told apart on collation alone — 320 pages against 275 — before any binding comparison is needed.

## Is this the true first?
Census claim confirmed, with one caveat stated plainly. Hodder & Stoughton (London) 1940 is the true first; the Knopf (New York) 1940 is the first American edition and is separately collected. No source consulted supplies the precise publication month for either edition, so exact near-simultaneity cannot be excluded on the documentary record. What establishes British priority is the Knopf copyright page itself: Knopf reserved the "First American Edition" formula for titles a foreign edition had preceded, and its use here concedes the Hodder's precedence. Dealer practice on both sides of the Atlantic is consistent with this, US dealers cataloguing the Knopf as the first US edition rather than the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware US dealers listing the Knopf 1940 simply as "First Edition" — several do, and the description is at best elliptical for first American edition; check for the unqualified "First American Edition" statement on the copyright page and the absence of a later printing line. Hodder later impressions are stated on the copyright page. No book-club issue of either 1940 edition is documented in the sources consulted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Journey into Fear* by Eric Ambler a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/journey-into-fear
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.