# Is "The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories" by Daphne du Maurier a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories by Daphne du Maurier (Victor Gollancz, London, 1952) is identified by: Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the form "First published 1952 / Second impression...", so a first impression shows a 1952 title page with the copyright line alone — "Copyright 1952 Daphne du Maurier" — and no impression notice below it. Victor Gollancz (London), 1952, is the true first, and it is the first book appearance of "The Birds" — the census claim is confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the form "First published 1952 / Second impression...", so a first impression shows a 1952 title page with the copyright line alone — "Copyright 1952 Daphne du Maurier" — and no impression notice below it
- The binding is publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt; the jacket is by Val Biro and should be present, priced and unclipped at the front flap
- Collation is 264 pages, and the contents are six pieces: "Monte Verità," "The Birds," "The Apple Tree," "The Little Photographer," "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" and "The Old Man." Subtitle caution: this book is recorded by cataloguers and dealers both as "A Short Novel and Several Long Stories" and as "A Short Novel and Some Stories" — the latter is the Library of Congress form under LCCN 52040861 — and we could not resolve from available sources which form the title page carries; in any case the point does not distinguish printings
- Publisher imprint reads Victor Gollancz, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
| Publisher | Victor Gollancz, London |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Gollancz placed no first-edition statement on its books before 1984 but did note later impressions on the reverse of the title page in the form "First published 1952 / Second impression...", so a first impression shows a 1952 title page with the copyright line alone — "Copyright 1952 Daphne du Maurier" — and no impression notice below it. The binding is publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt; the jacket is by Val Biro and should be present, priced and unclipped at the front flap. Collation is 264 pages, and the contents are six pieces: "Monte Verità," "The Birds," "The Apple Tree," "The Little Photographer," "Kiss Me Again, Stranger" and "The Old Man." Subtitle caution: this book is recorded by cataloguers and dealers both as "A Short Novel and Several Long Stories" and as "A Short Novel and Some Stories" — the latter is the Library of Congress form under LCCN 52040861 — and we could not resolve from available sources which form the title page carries; in any case the point does not distinguish printings.

## Is this the true first?
Victor Gollancz (London), 1952, is the true first, and it is the first book appearance of "The Birds" — the census claim is confirmed. The American edition is not a simple retitling and both are collected: Doubleday (Garden City), 1953, appeared as "Kiss Me Again, Stranger: A Collection of Eight Stories, Long and Short" and is expanded, adding "The Split Second" and "No Motive." The 1952 memorandum of agreement between du Maurier and Gollancz covered British Commonwealth rights only, with Doubleday holding the United States separately, which is why the two editions differ in contents rather than merely in name. Doubleday's practice in this period was to state "First Edition" on the copyright page and to drop the statement on later printings, but dealer cataloguing of this particular title is inconsistent on the point, so a US copy should be verified rather than assumed. A third trap: Penguin's 1963 retitling as "The Birds and Other Stories" is this same collection under a new name and is a paperback reissue, never a first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Gollancz second and later impressions are stated on the title-page verso and are the ordinary trap; unjacketed "second impression" copies circulate freely and are catalogued as such. On the American side the risk is Doubleday book-club printings, which lack the copyright-page edition statement. Facsimile jackets for this title are sold by reproduction specialists, so a bright Val Biro jacket on an otherwise worn book warrants inspection.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Apple Tree: A Short Novel and Some Stories* by Daphne du Maurier a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-apple-tree-a-short-novel-and-some-stories
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.