# Is "Murder in the Cathedral" by T.S. Eliot a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Murder in the Cathedral by T.S. Eliot (Faber & Faber, 1935) is identified by: Two distinct 1935 Faber issues, and the true first is the acting edition, not the trade cloth. The acting edition in grey wrappers (May 1935) precedes both the Faber trade cloth edition (June 1935) and the US Harcourt, Brace edition (1935).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two distinct 1935 Faber issues, and the true first is the acting edition, not the trade cloth
- The acting edition (Gallup A29a) came in grey printed wrappers, roughly 750 copies, produced in May 1935 for sale at the Canterbury Cathedral Festival production
- The Faber trade edition (Gallup A29b) followed about a month later in purple cloth with dust jacket; its text was slightly altered
- Later Faber 'editions' are revised and expanded
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | T.S. Eliot |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two distinct 1935 Faber issues, and the true first is the acting edition, not the trade… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Two distinct 1935 Faber issues, and the true first is the acting edition, not the trade cloth. The acting edition (Gallup A29a) came in grey printed wrappers, roughly 750 copies, produced in May 1935 for sale at the Canterbury Cathedral Festival production. The Faber trade edition (Gallup A29b) followed about a month later in purple cloth with dust jacket; its text was slightly altered. Later Faber 'editions' are revised and expanded.

## Is this the true first?
The acting edition in grey wrappers (May 1935) precedes both the Faber trade cloth edition (June 1935) and the US Harcourt, Brace edition (1935). If distinguishing, the wrappered acting edition is the earliest text and has priority.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Murder in the Cathedral* by T.S. Eliot a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/murder-in-the-cathedral
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.