# Is "Martha Quest" by Doris Lessing a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Martha Quest by Doris Lessing (Michael Joseph, 1952) is identified by: First published in 1952 by Michael Joseph, London, in green textured cloth boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine, collating to 319 pages. The UK Michael Joseph edition (1952) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published in 1952 by Michael Joseph, London, in green textured cloth boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine, collating to 319 pages
- Dust jacket designed by Peter Rudland; the fragile first-state jacket commonly shows toning to the spine panel and shallow chipping at the spine ends, and should retain the original printed price
- First of the 'Children of Violence' sequence and Lessing's second novel overall
- Publisher imprint reads Michael Joseph
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Doris Lessing |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published in 1952 by Michael Joseph, London, in green textured cloth boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine, collating to… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First published in 1952 by Michael Joseph, London, in green textured cloth boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine, collating to 319 pages. Dust jacket designed by Peter Rudland; the fragile first-state jacket commonly shows toning to the spine panel and shallow chipping at the spine ends, and should retain the original printed price. First of the 'Children of Violence' sequence and Lessing's second novel overall.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Michael Joseph edition (1952) is the true first. The first US edition appeared substantially later in the 1960s; the UK edition strongly precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; confirm the Michael Joseph imprint, the 1952 date, and the Rudland jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Martha Quest* by Doris Lessing a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/martha-quest
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.