# Is "The Black Book" by Lawrence Durrell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Black Book by Lawrence Durrell (The Obelisk Press, 1938) is identified by: First edition in printed wrappers, Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938, issued as the first volume in the Villa Seurat Series. Paris Obelisk Press wrappers (1938) are the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in printed wrappers, Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938, issued as the first volume in the Villa Seurat Series
- The earliest copies were dispatched without the erratum slip that was later added to correct a pagination error, so a copy lacking that slip reflects the earliest state
- Publisher imprint reads The Obelisk Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Durrell |
| Publisher | The Obelisk Press |
| Year | 1938 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in printed wrappers, Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938, issued as the first volume in the Villa Seurat Series |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition in printed wrappers, Obelisk Press, Paris, 1938, issued as the first volume in the Villa Seurat Series. The earliest copies were dispatched without the erratum slip that was later added to correct a pagination error, so a copy lacking that slip reflects the earliest state.

## Is this the true first?
Paris Obelisk Press wrappers (1938) are the true first. First US edition E. P. Dutton 1960; first UK edition Faber & Faber 1973 (Durrell having earlier declined an expurgated UK issue).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later expurgated and authorized editions differ in text. No book-club issue of the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Black Book* by Lawrence Durrell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-black-book
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.