# Is "Labels: A Mediterranean Journal" by Evelyn Waugh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Labels: A Mediterranean Journal by Evelyn Waugh (Duckworth, 1930) is identified by: First edition, first impression, published by Duckworth, London, in 1930. UK Duckworth 1930 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, published by Duckworth, London, in 1930
- Waugh's first travel book, an account of a Mediterranean cruise
- Octavo, 206 pages, with a frontispiece after a drawing by Waugh, a double-page route map, a sketch map of Port Said, and seven monochrome photographic plates
- Bound in dark blue cloth, the spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket (scarce and fragile)
- A separate deluxe issue of 110 copies signed by Waugh, each with a leaf of the original manuscript bound in, was issued in pale blue buckram with gilt spine lettering; the ordinary blue-cloth trade issue is the standard first
- Retitled A Bachelor Abroad for the American edition
- Publisher imprint reads Duckworth

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Evelyn Waugh |
| Publisher | Duckworth |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, published by Duckworth, London, in 1930 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, published by Duckworth, London, in 1930. Waugh's first travel book, an account of a Mediterranean cruise. Octavo, 206 pages, with a frontispiece after a drawing by Waugh, a double-page route map, a sketch map of Port Said, and seven monochrome photographic plates. Bound in dark blue cloth, the spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket (scarce and fragile). A separate deluxe issue of 110 copies signed by Waugh, each with a leaf of the original manuscript bound in, was issued in pale blue buckram with gilt spine lettering; the ordinary blue-cloth trade issue is the standard first. Retitled A Bachelor Abroad for the American edition.

## Is this the true first?
UK Duckworth 1930 is the true first. The US edition was published by Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith in 1930 under the title A Bachelor Abroad.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
American edition was retitled A Bachelor Abroad; not a book-club issue. The signed deluxe issue of 110 copies is a distinct limited state, not a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Labels: A Mediterranean Journal* by Evelyn Waugh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/labels-a-mediterranean-journal
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.