# Is "The High Window" by Raymond Chandler a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The High Window by Raymond Chandler (Alfred A. Knopf, 1942) is identified by: Knopf first, 1942 (published August 17, 1942), with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; catalogued Bruccoli A3.1.a, from a first printing of about 6,500 copies. US Knopf (1942) is the true first; UK Hamish Hamilton (1943) followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf first, 1942 (published August 17, 1942), with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; catalogued Bruccoli A3.1.a, from a first printing of about 6,500 copies
- Bound in light-brown cloth stamped on spine and front board; the first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries the printed price present on the front flap
- Third Philip Marlowe novel; later filmed as 'The Brasher Doubloon'
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Raymond Chandler |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 1942 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf first, 1942 (published August 17, 1942), with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; catalogued Bruccoli A3.1.a, from a first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf first, 1942 (published August 17, 1942), with 'FIRST EDITION' stated on the copyright page; catalogued Bruccoli A3.1.a, from a first printing of about 6,500 copies. Bound in light-brown cloth stamped on spine and front board; the first-issue pictorial dust jacket carries the printed price present on the front flap. Third Philip Marlowe novel; later filmed as 'The Brasher Doubloon' (1947).

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf (1942) is the true first; UK Hamish Hamilton (1943) followed. A small number of advance copies preceded the trade issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints and book-club copies lack the 'FIRST EDITION' statement on the copyright page and the original priced first-issue jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The High Window* by Raymond Chandler a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-high-window
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.