# Is "Memento Mori" by Muriel Spark a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Memento Mori by Muriel Spark (Macmillan, 1959) is identified by: London: Macmillan & Co., 1959; octavo, 246 pages. The UK Macmillan edition (1959) is the true first, preceding the US Lippincott edition of the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Macmillan & Co., 1959; octavo, 246 pages
- Publisher's cloth with gilt spine lettering
- The copyright page states 'First published 1959' with no later-impression line
- The first-issue pictorial dust jacket, in mauve and ochre tones, should retain its printed price to the flap and be unclipped in the correct state
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Muriel Spark |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Macmillan & Co., 1959; octavo, 246 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Macmillan & Co., 1959; octavo, 246 pages. Publisher's cloth with gilt spine lettering. The copyright page states 'First published 1959' with no later-impression line. The first-issue pictorial dust jacket, in mauve and ochre tones, should retain its printed price to the flap and be unclipped in the correct state.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Macmillan edition (1959) is the true first, preceding the US Lippincott edition of the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add an impression statement to the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Memento Mori* by Muriel Spark a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/memento-mori
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.