# Is "The Comedians" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Comedians by Graham Greene (The Bodley Head, 1966) is identified by: London: The Bodley Head, 1966 (Greene had moved from Heinemann to The Bodley Head). The UK Bodley Head edition of 1966 precedes the US Viking edition of 1966.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: The Bodley Head, 1966 (Greene had moved from Heinemann to The Bodley Head). 'First published 1966' on the copyright page
- Dark green cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the first-issue pictorial dust jacket designed by Ivan Lapper, with its printed price to the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1966 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: The Bodley Head, 1966 (Greene had moved from Heinemann to The Bodley Head). 'First published 1966' on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: The Bodley Head, 1966 (Greene had moved from Heinemann to The Bodley Head). 'First published 1966' on the copyright page. Dark green cloth lettered in gilt to the spine, in the first-issue pictorial dust jacket designed by Ivan Lapper, with its printed price to the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bodley Head edition of 1966 precedes the US Viking edition of 1966.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add printing lines; the correct first-issue jacket carries the printed price and the Ivan Lapper design.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Comedians* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-comedians
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.