# Is "The Heart of the Matter" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1948) is identified by: William Heinemann, London, 1948, first edition, first impression. Heinemann London 1948 is the true first; Viking New York 1948 is the first US edition, distinguished by its imprint and pricing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Heinemann, London, 1948, first edition, first impression
- Bound in blue cloth boards lettered in silver on the spine, with the top edge of the text block stained red; octavo, [6] plus 297 pages
- The copyright page reads simply First Published 1948 with no later-impression statement
- The correct first-issue dust jacket is a red typographic jacket with white lettering and should retain its printed price at the lower spine
- UK Heinemann precedes the US Viking edition of the same year
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | William Heinemann, London, 1948, first edition, first impression |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
William Heinemann, London, 1948, first edition, first impression. Bound in blue cloth boards lettered in silver on the spine, with the top edge of the text block stained red; octavo, [6] plus 297 pages. The copyright page reads simply First Published 1948 with no later-impression statement. The correct first-issue dust jacket is a red typographic jacket with white lettering and should retain its printed price at the lower spine. UK Heinemann precedes the US Viking edition of the same year.

## Is this the true first?
Heinemann London 1948 is the true first; Viking New York 1948 is the first US edition, distinguished by its imprint and pricing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Heinemann impressions add an impression statement on the copyright-page verso; the US Viking edition is set apart by its imprint and jacket pricing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Heart of the Matter* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-heart-of-the-matter
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.