# Is "The Grass Is Singing" by Doris Lessing a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing (Michael Joseph, 1950) is identified by: London: Michael Joseph, 1950. The true first is the UK Michael Joseph 1950 edition (Lessing's debut), scarce in jacket; the US Crowell edition is a later first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Michael Joseph, 1950
- States 'First published … 1950'; original sepia/brown cloth, spine lettered in yellow, 256 pages
- Pictorial dust jacket with its printed price in sterling
- Lessing's debut novel
- The UK Michael Joseph precedes the US Thomas Y. Crowell 1950 edition
- Publisher imprint reads Michael Joseph
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Doris Lessing |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Michael Joseph, 1950 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
London: Michael Joseph, 1950. States 'First published … 1950'; original sepia/brown cloth, spine lettered in yellow, 256 pages. Pictorial dust jacket with its printed price in sterling. Lessing's debut novel. The UK Michael Joseph precedes the US Thomas Y. Crowell 1950 edition.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the UK Michael Joseph 1950 edition (Lessing's debut), scarce in jacket; the US Crowell edition is a later first-thus. Note that a 'second impression before publication' exists, so confirm first-impression status, not just the 1950 date.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No club edition of note; primary pitfalls are a later impression (including the pre-publication second impression) or the US Crowell edition offered as the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Grass Is Singing* by Doris Lessing a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-grass-is-singing
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.