# Is "Temporary Kings" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Temporary Kings by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1973) is identified by: First printing of the eleventh (penultimate) volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, octavo, [8] plus 272 pages. The Heinemann London edition of 1973 is the true first, first impression.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the eleventh (penultimate) volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, octavo, [8] plus 272 pages
- Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt spine lettering against a black panel, and issued in the pictorial dust jacket designed by Broom-Lynne
- This volume won the W. H. Smith Literary Award, and copies were originally issued with a wraparound promotional band noting the award; the printed jacket price should be present
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the eleventh (penultimate) volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, octavo, [8] plus 272 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing of the eleventh (penultimate) volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, octavo, [8] plus 272 pages. Bound in publisher's red cloth with gilt spine lettering against a black panel, and issued in the pictorial dust jacket designed by Broom-Lynne. This volume won the W. H. Smith Literary Award, and copies were originally issued with a wraparound promotional band noting the award; the printed jacket price should be present.

## Is this the true first?
The Heinemann London edition of 1973 is the true first, first impression. The US edition was published by Little, Brown in 1973 and follows the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club and reprint-society printings followed the trade first and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Temporary Kings* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/temporary-kings
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.