# Is "Rumour at Nightfall" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rumour at Nightfall by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1931) is identified by: First edition, first printing in maroon cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, viii plus 300 pages; the first impression was a small printing (about 1,200 copies). UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Doubleday, Doran edition follows in 1932.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing in maroon cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, viii plus 300 pages; the first impression was a small printing (about 1,200 copies)
- Greene's third novel, suppressed and disowned by the author and not reprinted in his lifetime, making the first edition scarce
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1931 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing in maroon cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, viii plus 300 pages; the first impression was a small printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing in maroon cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, viii plus 300 pages; the first impression was a small printing (about 1,200 copies). Greene's third novel, suppressed and disowned by the author and not reprinted in his lifetime, making the first edition scarce.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Doubleday, Doran edition follows in 1932.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition was issued.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rumour at Nightfall* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rumour-at-nightfall
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.