# Is "The Go-Between" by L.P. Hartley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley (Hamish Hamilton, 1953) is identified by: The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and the top edge stained red. Hamish Hamilton (London), 1953, is the true first; Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and the top edge stained red
- The dust jacket artwork is by Val Biro, whose design is the only jacket art carried by the true first; the priced jacket has the price present at the flap, and jackets are frequently found clipped
- Hamish Hamilton used no number line in this period, so identification rests on the copyright-page statement: the first impression records first publication in 1953 with no added impression line
- Further impressions were called for within 1953 itself, and dealers record third and later 1953 impressions distinguished by an impression statement added to the verso — a 1953 title-page date alone therefore does not establish a first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | L.P. Hartley |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first impression was published by Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1953, bound in publisher's red cloth with the spine lettered in gilt and the top edge stained red. The dust jacket artwork is by Val Biro, whose design is the only jacket art carried by the true first; the priced jacket has the price present at the flap, and jackets are frequently found clipped. Hamish Hamilton used no number line in this period, so identification rests on the copyright-page statement: the first impression records first publication in 1953 with no added impression line. Further impressions were called for within 1953 itself, and dealers record third and later 1953 impressions distinguished by an impression statement added to the verso — a 1953 title-page date alone therefore does not establish a first printing.

## Is this the true first?
Hamish Hamilton (London), 1953, is the true first; Alfred A. Knopf (New York) published the first American edition in 1954, so the London printing precedes it by a clear year. Both editions are collected, but the Hamish Hamilton is the precedence copy and the Knopf is correctly described only as the first American edition. Treat with suspicion any listing pairing a Hamish Hamilton imprint with an 'American first edition' description — the Knopf sheets carry the Knopf imprint and a 1954 date.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Go-Between was a Book Society Choice, and dealer listings record the 1953 first printing as issued in association with The Book Society; the association is marked by a wrap-around Book Society band on the jacket (usually absent) rather than by a separate, cheaper club binding. This is therefore not the usual book-club trap — a 1953 Hamish Hamilton copy is not disqualified by the Book Society association. No distinct 1953 book-club binding was documented in the sources consulted; later reprints carry dated and stated impression lines on the verso.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Go-Between* by L.P. Hartley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-go-between
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.