# Is "Livia, or Buried Alive" by Lawrence Durrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Livia, or Buried Alive by Lawrence Durrell (Faber & Faber, 1978) is identified by: First printing, Faber and Faber, London, 1978, the second volume of The Avignon Quintet. UK Faber edition of 1978 is the true first; the US Viking edition followed in 1979.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, Faber and Faber, London, 1978, the second volume of The Avignon Quintet
- Publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the spine, collating (5, 1 blank), 265, (1 blank) pages, in the pictorial dust-jacket designed by David Gentleman
- A first-state jacket retains the original printed price to the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Durrell |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Faber and Faber, London, 1978, the second volume of The Avignon Quintet |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing, Faber and Faber, London, 1978, the second volume of The Avignon Quintet. Publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the spine, collating (5, 1 blank), 265, (1 blank) pages, in the pictorial dust-jacket designed by David Gentleman. A first-state jacket retains the original printed price to the flap.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber edition of 1978 is the true first; the US Viking edition followed in 1979.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Livia, or Buried Alive* by Lawrence Durrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/livia-or-buried-alive
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.