# Is "The Casuarina Tree" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Casuarina Tree by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1926) is identified by: True first is the William Heinemann, London edition, published 2 September 1926, a collection of six Malayan stories, catalogued Stott A34. UK Heinemann (2 September 1926) is the true first, preceding the US George H.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the William Heinemann, London edition, published 2 September 1926, a collection of six Malayan stories, catalogued Stott A34
- Bound in dark blue cloth with Maugham's Moorish device stamped in black to the front board and gilt lettering to the front board and spine
- The scarce first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries a wraparound island scene and the printed price to the spine, which should be present
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1926 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the William Heinemann, London edition, published 2 September 1926, a collection of six Malayan stories, catalogued Stott A34 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the William Heinemann, London edition, published 2 September 1926, a collection of six Malayan stories, catalogued Stott A34. Bound in dark blue cloth with Maugham's Moorish device stamped in black to the front board and gilt lettering to the front board and spine. The scarce first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries a wraparound island scene and the printed price to the spine, which should be present.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann (2 September 1926) is the true first, preceding the US George H. Doran edition (17 September 1926).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; the Doran US printing is a distinct later state, not a first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Casuarina Tree* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-casuarina-tree
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.