# Is "The Anti-Death League" by Kingsley Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Anti-Death League by Kingsley Amis (Victor Gollancz, 1966) is identified by: The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine. UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1966 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine
- Dealer descriptions of the cloth colour vary (reported both as olive-brown and as green), so treat cloth shade as secondary to the printing statement — a first impression shows only 'First published 1966' on the verso with no later-impression line (no number line)
- The distinctive original dust jacket is a wrap-around design by Raymond Hawkey with photography by Adrian Flowers, price present at the front flap (unclipped on a first-issue jacket)
- Two traps: a scarce 1966 uncorrected proof, and a 1972 Gollancz reissue for the New Fiction Society (a second impression, frequently signed) — verify 'First published 1966' with no reprint line
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kingsley Amis |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is Victor Gollancz, London, 1966: octavo, 352 pp, cloth lettered in gilt on the spine. Dealer descriptions of the cloth colour vary (reported both as olive-brown and as green), so treat cloth shade as secondary to the printing statement — a first impression shows only 'First published 1966' on the verso with no later-impression line (no number line). The distinctive original dust jacket is a wrap-around design by Raymond Hawkey with photography by Adrian Flowers, price present at the front flap (unclipped on a first-issue jacket). Two traps: a scarce 1966 uncorrected proof, and a 1972 Gollancz reissue for the New Fiction Society (a second impression, frequently signed) — verify 'First published 1966' with no reprint line.

## Is this the true first?
UK Victor Gollancz (London) 1966 is the true first. The first American edition, Harcourt, Brace & World (New York), also appeared in 1966; it is a separately collected same-year issue, but the British printing holds priority.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The 1972 New Fiction Society printing is a later Gollancz impression, not the first, despite often being signed; the US Ballantine paperback (1967) is a later reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Anti-Death League* by Kingsley Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-anti-death-league
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.