# Is "The Eve of Saint Venus" by Anthony Burgess a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Eve of Saint Venus by Anthony Burgess (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1964) is identified by: First printing of the illustrated novella, London 1964, in publisher's sea-green cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket, illustrated throughout by Edward Pagram with monochrome vignettes and full-page plates; octavo, 138 pages. UK Sidgwick & Jackson is the true first; the US Norton edition followed in 1970.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the illustrated novella, London 1964, in publisher's sea-green cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket, illustrated throughout by Edward Pagram with monochrome vignettes and full-page plates; octavo, 138 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Sidgwick & Jackson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
| Publisher | Sidgwick & Jackson |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the illustrated novella, London 1964, in publisher's sea-green cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of the illustrated novella, London 1964, in publisher's sea-green cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket, illustrated throughout by Edward Pagram with monochrome vignettes and full-page plates; octavo, 138 pages.

## Is this the true first?
UK Sidgwick & Jackson is the true first; the US Norton edition followed in 1970.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Eve of Saint Venus* by Anthony Burgess a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-eve-of-saint-venus
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.