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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Orientations by W. Somerset Maugham (T. Fisher Unwin, 1899) is identified by: First printing in green cloth from Unwin's the printed price library, spine lettered in gilt. UK T.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in green cloth from Unwin's the printed price library, spine lettered in gilt
- Maugham's first collection of short stories (six tales)
- No American edition was published
- Publisher imprint reads T. Fisher Unwin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | T. Fisher Unwin |
| Year | 1899 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in green cloth from Unwin's the printed price library, spine lettered in gilt |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing in green cloth from Unwin's the printed price library, spine lettered in gilt. Maugham's first collection of short stories (six tales). No American edition was published.

## Is this the true first?
UK T. Fisher Unwin is the true first; there was no US edition.

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

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