# Is "Pied Piper of Lovers" by Lawrence Durrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pied Piper of Lovers by Lawrence Durrell (Cassell, 1935) is identified by: First edition, Cassell, London, 1935. UK Cassell 1935 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Cassell, London, 1935
- Durrell's first novel
- It was published in the ordinary way but sold poorly; most of the stock was later destroyed during the Blitz, and Durrell declined to allow it to be reprinted, leaving very few surviving copies
- A notable rarity
- Publisher imprint reads Cassell
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Durrell |
| Publisher | Cassell |
| Year | 1935 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Cassell, London, 1935 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Cassell, London, 1935. Durrell's first novel. It was published in the ordinary way but sold poorly; most of the stock was later destroyed during the Blitz, and Durrell declined to allow it to be reprinted, leaving very few surviving copies. A notable rarity.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cassell 1935 is the true first; there was no contemporary US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. Among the scarcest 20th-century firsts, owing to wartime loss of stock and Durrell's refusal to reprint rather than any suppression at publication.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pied Piper of Lovers* by Lawrence Durrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pied-piper-of-lovers
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.