# Is "The Art of Seeing" by Aldous Huxley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Art of Seeing by Aldous Huxley (Harper & Brothers, 1942) is identified by: First printing of Huxley's book on the Bates method of vision improvement, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1942, an octavo of 273 pages bound in green cloth (buckram) with the title and author stamped in gilt on the front cover. US Harper & Brothers (1942) is the true first, identified by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' and the Harper 'I-R' code, ahead of the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of Huxley's book on the Bates method of vision improvement, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1942, an octavo of 273 pages bound in green cloth (buckram) with the title and author stamped in gilt on the front cover
- The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'FIRST EDITION' with the Harper code 'I-R'
- It preceded the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943, reflecting Huxley's residence in California in this period
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Brothers
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Aldous Huxley |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of Huxley's book on the Bates method of vision improvement, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1942, an octavo of 273 pages bound… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of Huxley's book on the Bates method of vision improvement, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1942, an octavo of 273 pages bound in green cloth (buckram) with the title and author stamped in gilt on the front cover. The first printing is identified by the copyright page reading 'FIRST EDITION' with the Harper code 'I-R'. It preceded the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943, reflecting Huxley's residence in California in this period.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Brothers (1942) is the true first, identified by the stated 'FIRST EDITION' and the Harper 'I-R' code, ahead of the UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1943.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue at first publication; the American Harper jacket is notoriously fragile and scarce in presentable condition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Art of Seeing* by Aldous Huxley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-art-of-seeing
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.