# Is "My Cousin Rachel" by Daphne du Maurier a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier (Victor Gollancz, 1951) is identified by: Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, dated 1951, under the house's yellow typographic dust jacket; a priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the flap) is called for. Victor Gollancz (London) 1951 is the true first; the Doubleday (New York) edition followed in 1952.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, dated 1951, under the house's yellow typographic dust jacket; a priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the flap) is called for
- Dealer descriptions of the first-impression binding vary between publisher's red cloth lettered in black on the spine and tan boards, so binding color alone should not be used to accept or reject a copy — the jacket and the 1951 Gollancz imprint are the controlling points
- Octavo, 352 pp
- The first American edition (Doubleday, New York, 1952) states "First Edition" on the copyright page and is bound in yellow cloth lettered in green, with green endpapers and a yellow-stained top edge, in a priced pictorial jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1951 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, dated 1951, under the house's yellow typographic dust jacket; a priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Victor Gollancz Ltd, London, dated 1951, under the house's yellow typographic dust jacket; a priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the flap) is called for. Dealer descriptions of the first-impression binding vary between publisher's red cloth lettered in black on the spine and tan boards, so binding color alone should not be used to accept or reject a copy — the jacket and the 1951 Gollancz imprint are the controlling points. Octavo, 352 pp. The first American edition (Doubleday, New York, 1952) states "First Edition" on the copyright page and is bound in yellow cloth lettered in green, with green endpapers and a yellow-stained top edge, in a priced pictorial jacket.

## Is this the true first?
Victor Gollancz (London) 1951 is the true first; the Doubleday (New York) edition followed in 1952. Both are collected; the Gollancz edition has precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US copies lacking the stated "First Edition" on the copyright page and a priced jacket are later printings or club issues; no specific UK book-club points were documented in the sources consulted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Cousin Rachel* by Daphne du Maurier a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-cousin-rachel
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.