# Is "Lud-in-the-Mist" by Hope Mirrlees a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirrlees (W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1926) is identified by: Ltd., 1926; octavo, pp. UK first — the census claim is confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: W. Collins Sons & Co
- Ltd., 1926; octavo, pp. [i-vi] vii-viii 1-319 [320: printer's imprint]. The binding sequence is the operative point, not the title page
- The first binding (Silver Stallion bibliography Lud-A1) is textured buff to medium-brown cloth, the front panel ruled in dark brown, the publisher's imprint stamped in dark brown at the base of the spine panel, with a printed leather label affixed to the spine
- Later bindings of the same sheets are the trap: Lud-A1a is identical except that the leather label is replaced by a boxed title printed directly on the spine
- Lud-A1b is blue cloth with black lettering and decoration and a zig-zag ruled box on the spine
- Lud-A1c is red cloth with black lettering and decoration
- Publisher imprint reads W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd.

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hope Mirrlees |
| Publisher | W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: W. Collins Sons & Co |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
London: W. Collins Sons & Co. Ltd., 1926; octavo, pp. [i-vi] vii-viii 1-319 [320: printer's imprint]. The binding sequence is the operative point, not the title page. The first binding (Silver Stallion bibliography Lud-A1) is textured buff to medium-brown cloth, the front panel ruled in dark brown, the publisher's imprint stamped in dark brown at the base of the spine panel, with a printed leather label affixed to the spine. Later bindings of the same sheets are the trap: Lud-A1a is identical except that the leather label is replaced by a boxed title printed directly on the spine; Lud-A1b is blue cloth with black lettering and decoration and a zig-zag ruled box on the spine; Lud-A1c is red cloth with black lettering and decoration. The pictorial dust jacket should be present with the price at the flap (priced jacket / price present at the flap); it is rarely found in decent condition. There is no printing statement and no number line.

## Is this the true first?
UK first — the census claim is confirmed. W. Collins Sons & Co., London, 1926 precedes the first American edition, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1927. Both are collected and a full description should name both. The Knopf first US collates octavo, pp. [1-2] [1-10] 11-313 [314: blank] [315: 'a note on the type'] [316-318: blank], with a final blank leaf, and is bound in decorated boards with a green cloth shelf back and a printed paper label affixed to the spine panel, fore and bottom edges rough-trimmed, decorated endpapers, in a pictorial jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is documented for the 1926 Collins issue. The dominant tell is binding-state rather than reprint: Collins re-cased the same sheets into the A1a, A1b and A1c bindings, so cloth colour and the presence of the printed leather spine label — not the title page, which is identical across them — decide the first binding. Later Knopf and mid-century paperback reissues carry their own imprints and dates.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lud-in-the-Mist* by Hope Mirrlees a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lud-in-the-mist
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.