# Is "Rossetti: His Life and Works" by Evelyn Waugh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rossetti: His Life and Works by Evelyn Waugh (Duckworth, 1928) is identified by: Duckworth (London) 1928 — Waugh's first commercially published book, appearing April 1928, months before Decline and Fall (September 1928). UK Duckworth (London) 1928 is the true first; the Dodd, Mead (New York) 1928 issue is the American edition, produced for the US market around the centenary of Rossetti's birth.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Duckworth (London) 1928 — Waugh's first commercially published book, appearing April 1928, months before Decline and Fall (September 1928)
- The first impression is bound in maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a cream/buff printed dust wrapper, and illustrated with eight monochrome plates; the first-impression verso carries no 'Second/Third impression' notice
- Duckworth reprinted rapidly — a second impression was at press by mid-October 1928 and a third followed in December 1928 from the plates — so a genuine first must lack any later-impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Duckworth
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Evelyn Waugh |
| Publisher | Duckworth |
| Year | 1928 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Duckworth (London) 1928 — Waugh's first commercially published book, appearing April 1928, months before Decline and Fall (September 1928) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Duckworth (London) 1928 — Waugh's first commercially published book, appearing April 1928, months before Decline and Fall (September 1928). The first impression is bound in maroon cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a cream/buff printed dust wrapper, and illustrated with eight monochrome plates; the first-impression verso carries no 'Second/Third impression' notice. Duckworth reprinted rapidly — a second impression was at press by mid-October 1928 and a third followed in December 1928 from the plates — so a genuine first must lack any later-impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
UK Duckworth (London) 1928 is the true first; the Dodd, Mead (New York) 1928 issue is the American edition, produced for the US market around the centenary of Rossetti's birth. Note the 'first book' trap: Rossetti is Waugh's first commercially published (and first full-length) book, but he was preceded in print by privately printed items, notably his Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood essay (1926, an edition of about fifty copies).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Second impression (October 1928) and third impression (December 1928, from the plates) exist; only the un-noted first impression is the first printing. Dodd, Mead 1928 is the American issue, not a book club.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rossetti: His Life and Works* by Evelyn Waugh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rossetti-his-life-and-works
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.