# Is "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham (George H. Doran, 1915) is identified by: Doran edition precedes the UK Heinemann edition (both 1915). US Doran 1915 is the true first; the UK Heinemann edition followed the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US George H. Doran edition precedes the UK Heinemann edition (both 1915)
- The true first issue is identified by the uncorrected misprint "help" for "helped" on page 257, line 4, and by the absence of the Doran colophon/monogram on the copyright page; green cloth blocked in gilt on front board and spine
- Publisher imprint reads George H. Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | George H. Doran |
| Year | 1915 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US George H. Doran edition precedes the UK Heinemann edition (both 1915) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US George H. Doran edition precedes the UK Heinemann edition (both 1915). The true first issue is identified by the uncorrected misprint "help" for "helped" on page 257, line 4, and by the absence of the Doran colophon/monogram on the copyright page; green cloth blocked in gilt on front board and spine.

## Is this the true first?
US Doran 1915 is the true first; the UK Heinemann edition followed the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Numerous later printings and book-club copies exist; confirm the page-257 misprint and the absent Doran monogram before treating a copy as the first issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Of Human Bondage* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/of-human-bondage
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.