# Is "The Driver's Seat" by Muriel Spark a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Driver's Seat by Muriel Spark (Macmillan, 1970) is identified by: First edition in book form published by Macmillan, London, in September 1970, in the publisher's green cloth lettered in silver to the spine, issued in the pictorial dust jacket (priced at the front flap). Macmillan (London) 1970 is the accepted true first edition in book form and precedes the Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition in book form published by Macmillan, London, in September 1970, in the publisher's green cloth lettered in silver to the spine, issued in the pictorial dust jacket (priced at the front flap)
- The complete text had appeared in The New Yorker on 16 May 1970 ahead of book publication — a prior periodical appearance, not a book edition
- Copyright page carries the Macmillan 1970 imprint with no later-impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Muriel Spark |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition in book form published by Macmillan, London, in September 1970, in the publisher's green cloth lettered in silver to the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition in book form published by Macmillan, London, in September 1970, in the publisher's green cloth lettered in silver to the spine, issued in the pictorial dust jacket (priced at the front flap). The complete text had appeared in The New Yorker on 16 May 1970 ahead of book publication — a prior periodical appearance, not a book edition. Copyright page carries the Macmillan 1970 imprint with no later-impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
Macmillan (London) 1970 is the accepted true first edition in book form and precedes the Alfred A. Knopf (New York) 1970 first American edition; both are collected, with London holding priority. The New Yorker printing (16 May 1970) is the first appearance in print but is a magazine serialization, not the first book — treat it as a 'first appearance,' not the collectible first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No UK book-club issue is noted for the first; later New Directions and Penguin paperbacks are reprints. Confirm the Macmillan imprint and the priced first-issue flap; a clipped flap or a Knopf imprint indicates a different edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Driver's Seat* by Muriel Spark a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-drivers-seat
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.