# Is "Love in a Cold Climate" by Nancy Mitford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford (Hamish Hamilton, 1949) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton, London, 1949, in the publisher's original red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt (8vo, 304 pp.). UK Hamish Hamilton (London) 1949 is the true first and holds priority over the US Random House (New York) 1949 issue, which followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton, London, 1949, in the publisher's original red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt (8vo, 304 pp.)
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket; the first-issue jacket is unclipped with the price present at the front flap
- The title/copyright leaf bears the Hamish Hamilton 1949 imprint with no later-impression statement; the red cloth and gilt spine are corroborated across two independent ABAA/dealer descriptions
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nancy Mitford |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton, London, 1949, in the publisher's original red cloth with the spine lettered in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing published by Hamish Hamilton, London, 1949, in the publisher's original red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt (8vo, 304 pp.). Issued in a pictorial dust jacket; the first-issue jacket is unclipped with the price present at the front flap. The title/copyright leaf bears the Hamish Hamilton 1949 imprint with no later-impression statement; the red cloth and gilt spine are corroborated across two independent ABAA/dealer descriptions.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hamish Hamilton (London) 1949 is the true first and holds priority over the US Random House (New York) 1949 issue, which followed. Both the London first and the Random House American edition are collected; London has precedence, so the Hamish Hamilton printing is the one to seek as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Hamish Hamilton impressions and a Reprint Society/Book Club issue exist; a book-club copy typically lacks the price at the flap and may carry a Reprint Society or 'Book Club' notice on the jacket or copyright page. Confirm the 1949 Hamish Hamilton imprint and the absence of any later-impression line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Love in a Cold Climate* by Nancy Mitford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/love-in-a-cold-climate
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.