# Is "Texts and Pretexts" by Aldous Huxley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Texts and Pretexts by Aldous Huxley (Chatto & Windus, 1932) is identified by: First edition of the anthology with Huxley's own commentaries (full title Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries), London, Chatto & Windus, 1932. UK Chatto & Windus (1932) is the true first; the US Harper edition followed in 1933.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition of the anthology with Huxley's own commentaries (full title Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries), London, Chatto & Windus, 1932
- Octavo, viii and 312 pages, issued uncut in blue-green cloth with the title gilt-lettered on the spine and a blue top edge
- The first-state jacket carries bright horizontal-line cover art with the title lettered on the front and spine; it should be present with its printed price and unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Aldous Huxley |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition of the anthology with Huxley's own commentaries (full title Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries), London… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition of the anthology with Huxley's own commentaries (full title Texts and Pretexts: An Anthology with Commentaries), London, Chatto & Windus, 1932. Octavo, viii and 312 pages, issued uncut in blue-green cloth with the title gilt-lettered on the spine and a blue top edge. The first-state jacket carries bright horizontal-line cover art with the title lettered on the front and spine; it should be present with its printed price and unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
UK Chatto & Windus (1932) is the true first; the US Harper edition followed in 1933. Confirm the 1932 Chatto imprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is a point of issue for the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Texts and Pretexts* by Aldous Huxley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/texts-and-pretexts
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.