# Is "Nineteen Stories" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nineteen Stories by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1947) is identified by: First printing of the story collection (Wobbe A20a; Miller 24), a cheaply produced postwar volume in publisher's navy blue cloth stamped in silver on the spine; small octavo, roughly 231 pages. UK Heinemann is the true first; the first US edition (Viking) followed in 1949.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the story collection (Wobbe A20a
- Miller 24), a cheaply produced postwar volume in publisher's navy blue cloth stamped in silver on the spine; small octavo, roughly 231 pages
- First-state dust jacket is cream, typographic, printed in red and grey and carrying the printed price on the spine; unclipped examples are uncommon and the volume is frequently found in poor condition
- Reprints eight stories from the earlier collection The Basement Room
- alongside newer work, and includes 'The Basement Room' itself
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1947 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the story collection (Wobbe A20a |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing of the story collection (Wobbe A20a; Miller 24), a cheaply produced postwar volume in publisher's navy blue cloth stamped in silver on the spine; small octavo, roughly 231 pages. First-state dust jacket is cream, typographic, printed in red and grey and carrying the printed price on the spine; unclipped examples are uncommon and the volume is frequently found in poor condition. Reprints eight stories from the earlier collection The Basement Room (1935) alongside newer work, and includes 'The Basement Room' itself.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first; the first US edition (Viking) followed in 1949. Contents differ from the later collection, with two stories ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') dropped afterward.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later revised and expanded as Twenty-One Stories (Heinemann, 1955).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Nineteen Stories* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/nineteen-stories
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.