# Is "Ramakrishna and His Disciples" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ramakrishna and His Disciples by Christopher Isherwood (Simon & Schuster, 1965) is identified by: First edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1965: octavo, 348 pages, in publisher's cloth with a priced dust jacket. Dealer consensus treats the US Simon & Schuster 1965 edition as the true first, published earlier in 1965 than the UK Methuen 1965 edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1965: octavo, 348 pages, in publisher's cloth with a priced dust jacket
- A religious biography of the nineteenth-century Bengali mystic, drawing on Isherwood's decades within the Vedanta Society
- The London Methuen edition appeared the same year
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1965: octavo, 348 pages, in publisher's cloth with a priced dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1965: octavo, 348 pages, in publisher's cloth with a priced dust jacket. A religious biography of the nineteenth-century Bengali mystic, drawing on Isherwood's decades within the Vedanta Society. The London Methuen edition appeared the same year (1965).

## Is this the true first?
Dealer consensus treats the US Simon & Schuster 1965 edition as the true first, published earlier in 1965 than the UK Methuen 1965 edition. Both are 1965 impressions, so a copy should be identified by its Simon & Schuster imprint and copyright page.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ramakrishna and His Disciples* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ramakrishna-and-his-disciples
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.