# Is "Mrs. Craddock" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mrs. Craddock by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1902) is identified by: First printing in green cloth stamped in black with Maugham's Moorish symbol and gilt title; heavier paper than later printings. UK William Heinemann is the true first; the US Doran edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in green cloth stamped in black with Maugham's Moorish symbol and gilt title; heavier paper than later printings
- The first edition includes the Epistle Dedicatory and the text as cut by Heinemann (passages deemed objectionable were removed for this issue)
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1902 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in green cloth stamped in black with Maugham's Moorish symbol and gilt title; heavier paper than later printings |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing in green cloth stamped in black with Maugham's Moorish symbol and gilt title; heavier paper than later printings. The first edition includes the Epistle Dedicatory and the text as cut by Heinemann (passages deemed objectionable were removed for this issue).

## Is this the true first?
UK William Heinemann is the true first; the US Doran edition followed. This was Maugham's first title from Heinemann.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A later revised edition restores the censored passages from the original manuscript and differs textually; not a book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mrs. Craddock* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mrs-craddock
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.