# Is "Phantom Lady" by William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Phantom Lady by William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) (J. B. Lippincott, 1942) is identified by: Lippincott in this period always marked later printings or impressions on the copyright page, and its novels often carry no 'First Edition' statement, so a first printing is identified by the absence of any later-printing notice. The J.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Lippincott in this period always marked later printings or impressions on the copyright page, and its novels often carry no 'First Edition' statement, so a first printing is identified by the absence of any later-printing notice
- The first edition (Philadelphia and New York, 291 pages) is bound in blue cloth with black titling to the spine and the top edge stained red; the first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the flap
- Publisher imprint reads J. B. Lippincott
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) |
| Publisher | J. B. Lippincott |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Lippincott in this period always marked later printings or impressions on the copyright page, and its novels often carry no 'First Edition'… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Lippincott in this period always marked later printings or impressions on the copyright page, and its novels often carry no 'First Edition' statement, so a first printing is identified by the absence of any later-printing notice. The first edition (Philadelphia and New York, 291 pages) is bound in blue cloth with black titling to the spine and the top edge stained red; the first-issue dust jacket is priced, with the price present at the flap.

## Is this the true first?
The J. B. Lippincott (Philadelphia, 1942) edition is the true first and the first book published under Woolrich's William Irish pseudonym. The first UK edition came from Robert Hale (London) in 1945 — a wartime production, with some copies undated — and for every Irish title the US edition precedes the UK. A Haycraft-Queen Cornerstone.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented; any 'Second Printing' or impression statement on the copyright page marks a reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Phantom Lady* by William Irish (Cornell Woolrich) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/phantom-lady
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.