# Is "The Complaisant Lover" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Complaisant Lover by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1959) is identified by: First edition, first impression, published by Heinemann in London in 1959. UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Viking edition followed in 1961.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression, published by Heinemann in London in 1959
- A two-act comedy, issued in the publisher's blue cloth with the spine lettered and ruled in gilt and the publisher's imprint stamped in blind to the rear board, supplied in a printed dust jacket lettered in red and black
- The jacket should retain its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression, published by Heinemann in London in 1959 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression, published by Heinemann in London in 1959. A two-act comedy, issued in the publisher's blue cloth with the spine lettered and ruled in gilt and the publisher's imprint stamped in blind to the rear board, supplied in a printed dust jacket lettered in red and black. The jacket should retain its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first; the US Viking edition followed in 1961.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted for the first edition.

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