# Is "Sea and Sardinia" by D.H. Lawrence a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sea and Sardinia by D.H. Lawrence (Thomas Seltzer, 1921) is identified by: True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921; Roberts A20), illustrated with eight color plates by Jan Juta plus a map plate. American true first: Thomas Seltzer (New York), 1921, precedes the first English edition, Martin Secker (London), 1923, by about two years.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921
- Roberts A20), illustrated with eight color plates by Jan Juta plus a map plate
- Recognized first-edition point: line 3 of page 127 is printed upside down (present in all first-edition copies, per Roberts)
- Bound in green paper-covered boards with a tan / buff cloth spine and printed paper label; the eight Juta plates and the p.127 error are the primary identification points
- Publisher imprint reads Thomas Seltzer
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | D.H. Lawrence |
| Publisher | Thomas Seltzer |
| Year | 1921 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first edition published by Thomas Seltzer, New York, 1921 (late 1921; Roberts A20), illustrated with eight color plates by Jan Juta plus a map plate. Recognized first-edition point: line 3 of page 127 is printed upside down (present in all first-edition copies, per Roberts). Bound in green paper-covered boards with a tan / buff cloth spine and printed paper label; the eight Juta plates and the p.127 error are the primary identification points.

## Is this the true first?
American true first: Thomas Seltzer (New York), 1921, precedes the first English edition, Martin Secker (London), 1923, by about two years. Both are collected, but the Seltzer is the true first; the Secker (brown cloth, reusing a Juta plate on the jacket) is a first-English / first-thus. Census precedence confirmed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1923 Secker London edition is the first English edition (first-thus), not the true first. Later reprints omit the original Seltzer plates/format and the p.127 point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sea and Sardinia* by D.H. Lawrence a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sea-and-sardinia
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.