# Is "Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future" by Olaf Stapledon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future by Olaf Stapledon (Methuen & Co. Ltd., 1930) is identified by: Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930". Methuen, London, 1930 is the true first — census confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930"
- Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-xi [xii] 1-355 [356: printer's imprint]; bound in dark blue cloth with the front panel stamped in blind and the spine panel stamped in gold
- Currey's first-edition, first-impression collation adds an 8-page publisher's catalogue dated "630" inserted at the rear; not every recorded copy is described with it, so treat the dated catalogue as strongly corroborating rather than decisive
- The jacket is yellow-orange printed and is scarce; price present at the flap
- Because a bare "First Published in 1930" line can stand on a later Methuen impression beneath an added reprint line, read the whole copyright block rather than the first line alone
- Publisher imprint reads Methuen & Co. Ltd.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Olaf Stapledon |
| Publisher | Methuen & Co. Ltd. |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930" |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Methuen & Co. Ltd., London, published 23 October 1930 in 2,036 copies; the copyright page reads "First Published in 1930". Octavo, pp. [i-iv] v-xi [xii] 1-355 [356: printer's imprint]; bound in dark blue cloth with the front panel stamped in blind and the spine panel stamped in gold. Currey's first-edition, first-impression collation adds an 8-page publisher's catalogue dated "630" inserted at the rear; not every recorded copy is described with it, so treat the dated catalogue as strongly corroborating rather than decisive. The jacket is yellow-orange printed and is scarce; price present at the flap. Because a bare "First Published in 1930" line can stand on a later Methuen impression beneath an added reprint line, read the whole copyright block rather than the first line alone.

## Is this the true first?
Methuen, London, 1930 is the true first — census confirmed. Stapledon was British and no earlier original-language edition exists. The first American edition is Jonathan Cape and Harrison Smith, New York, 1931, with "First Published in America 1931" on the copyright page and an author's "Foreword to the American Edition" unique to it; it is collected in its own right but is not the first. The US edition also has a binding sequence worth knowing: the first binding is purple cloth with the panels ruled in blind, spine stamped in gold, top edge stained and fore/bottom edges rough trimmed; a later binding is tan cloth with the spine stamped in black. Where both editions are collected, name them as first (Methuen 1930) and first US (Cape & Harrison Smith 1931, first binding purple cloth).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of the Methuen printing is documented in the sources consulted. The reprint tells are later Methuen impressions — distinguish them by the full copyright block and by the absence of the rear catalogue dated "630" — and the many later omnibus reprints that pair the novel with Star Maker (e.g. the 1968 Dover volume), all of which carry their own imprints and dates on the title page. Do not confuse the US first's "Foreword to the American Edition" with a later-edition addition: it is original to the 1931 Cape & Harrison Smith issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future* by Olaf Stapledon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/last-and-first-men-a-story-of-the-near-and-far-future
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.