# Is "The King of Elfland's Daughter" by Lord Dunsany a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany (G.P. Putnam's Sons, London, 1924) is identified by: Both the UK and US firsts appeared in 1924 from Putnam, with a frontispiece by S.H. The UK Putnam edition takes precedence, led by the May 1924 signed limited edition of 250 copies, then the June trade edition; the New York Putnam edition is the US first, issued in October 1924.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Both the UK and US firsts appeared in 1924 from Putnam, with a frontispiece by S.H. Sime
- The UK has precedence: a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies issued in May 1924, followed by the UK trade edition in June; the New York Putnam edition followed in October
- Distinguish UK from US by the title-page imprint (the London and New York imprint denotes the UK issue; the imprint beginning with New York denotes the US issue), and confirm the 1924 date with no later printing line
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lord Dunsany |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons, London |
| Year | 1924 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Both the UK and US firsts appeared in 1924 from Putnam, with a frontispiece by S.H. Sime |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Both the UK and US firsts appeared in 1924 from Putnam, with a frontispiece by S.H. Sime. The UK has precedence: a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies issued in May 1924, followed by the UK trade edition in June; the New York Putnam edition followed in October. Distinguish UK from US by the title-page imprint (the London and New York imprint denotes the UK issue; the imprint beginning with New York denotes the US issue), and confirm the 1924 date with no later printing line.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Putnam edition takes precedence, led by the May 1924 signed limited edition of 250 copies, then the June trade edition; the New York Putnam edition is the US first, issued in October 1924. A cornerstone of pre-Tolkien fantasy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition applies; the trap is the Ballantine Adult Fantasy paperback and other later reprints. Verify the 1924 Putnam imprint and use the title-page imprint to tell UK from US.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The King of Elfland's Daughter* by Lord Dunsany a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-king-of-elflands-daughter
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.