# Is "The Inheritors" by William Golding a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Inheritors by William Golding (Faber & Faber, 1955) is identified by: London: Faber & Faber, 1955. The UK Faber edition (1955), Golding's second novel after Lord of the Flies, is the true first, preceding the US Harcourt, Brace edition (1962).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Faber & Faber, 1955
- Cloth binding; first-issue dust jacket with a drawing by Anthony Gross, with its printed price, unclipped (some copies retain the scarce wraparound review band)
- Copyright page states 'First published in mcmlv' (Faber used Roman-numeral years before 1968)
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | William Golding |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1955 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Faber & Faber, 1955 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Faber & Faber, 1955. Cloth binding; first-issue dust jacket with a drawing by Anthony Gross, with its printed price, unclipped (some copies retain the scarce wraparound review band). Copyright page states 'First published in mcmlv' (Faber used Roman-numeral years before 1968).

## Is this the true first?
The UK Faber edition (1955), Golding's second novel after Lord of the Flies, is the true first, preceding the US Harcourt, Brace edition (1962).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add a printing statement to the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Inheritors* by William Golding a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-inheritors
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.