# Is "The Kindly Ones" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Kindly Ones by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1962) is identified by: True first is the London Heinemann 1962 hardcover, first impression, with no statement of a later printing. UK Heinemann 1962 is the true first; the first American edition (Little, Brown, Boston) also appeared in 1962 but followed the Heinemann.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the London Heinemann 1962 hardcover, first impression, with no statement of a later printing
- Red boards with a black spine label lettered in gilt, in the illustrated dust jacket designed by James Broom-Lynne, the printed price present on the flap
- Volume six of A Dance to the Music of Time
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1962 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the London Heinemann 1962 hardcover, first impression, with no statement of a later printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the London Heinemann 1962 hardcover, first impression, with no statement of a later printing. Red boards with a black spine label lettered in gilt, in the illustrated dust jacket designed by James Broom-Lynne, the printed price present on the flap. Volume six of A Dance to the Music of Time.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann 1962 is the true first; the first American edition (Little, Brown, Boston) also appeared in 1962 but followed the Heinemann.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions and book-club issues followed; a Little, Brown second printing exists, so verify first-printing status on the American edition. The Heinemann first is identified by the red boards, gilt-lettered black spine label, and the James Broom-Lynne jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Kindly Ones* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-kindly-ones
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.