# Is "The Female Eunuch" by Germaine Greer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer (MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1970) is identified by: True first is MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1970 ('first published 1970' on the verso), 354 pp, publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering (variously described as burgundy/maroon; some copies quarter-bound in black cloth over purple boards, with purple endpapers), in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap). UK MacGibbon & Kee 1970 is the true first, preceding the first US edition (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1970 ('first published 1970' on the verso), 354 pp, publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering (variously described as burgundy/maroon; some copies quarter-bound in black cloth over purple boards, with purple endpapers), in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap)
- COVER TRAP: the celebrated John Holmes artwork — a woman's torso rendered as a hollow 'body-suit' hung on a rail — was created for the 1971 Paladin PAPERBACK, not the 1970 hardback; do not identify the true first by that image, as a Holmes-torso copy is the later Paladin wrapper issue
- Verify the MacGibbon & Kee 1970 hardback imprint
- Publisher imprint reads MacGibbon & Kee, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Germaine Greer |
| Publisher | MacGibbon & Kee, London |
| Year | 1970 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1970 ('first published 1970' on the verso), 354 pp, publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is MacGibbon & Kee, London, 1970 ('first published 1970' on the verso), 354 pp, publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering (variously described as burgundy/maroon; some copies quarter-bound in black cloth over purple boards, with purple endpapers), in a priced dust jacket (price present at the flap). COVER TRAP: the celebrated John Holmes artwork — a woman's torso rendered as a hollow 'body-suit' hung on a rail — was created for the 1971 Paladin PAPERBACK, not the 1970 hardback; do not identify the true first by that image, as a Holmes-torso copy is the later Paladin wrapper issue. Verify the MacGibbon & Kee 1970 hardback imprint.

## Is this the true first?
UK MacGibbon & Kee 1970 is the true first, preceding the first US edition (McGraw-Hill, New York, 1971). The census note is correct.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Common later states mistaken for 'firsts': the 1971 McGraw-Hill US first edition, and the 1971 Paladin paperback bearing the famous John Holmes torso cover (a 'first thus,' not the true first). Numerous reprints follow.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Female Eunuch* by Germaine Greer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-female-eunuch
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.