# Is "The Land of the Blessed Virgin" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Land of the Blessed Virgin by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1905) is identified by: First printing of Maugham's Andalusia travel sketches (full title The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia), published by William Heinemann in London in January 1905 in a stated edition of 1,250 copies, with a photogravure frontispiece of the Madonna under a tissue guard. UK Heinemann 1905 is the true first; the US Knopf edition (1920) is a later, revised printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of Maugham's Andalusia travel sketches (full title The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia), published by William Heinemann in London in January 1905 in a stated edition of 1,250 copies, with a photogravure frontispiece of the Madonna under a tissue guard
- The first-issue binding is quarter parchment (white vellum spine) over Madonna-blue paper-covered boards, lettered in gilt to the spine and with the author's insignia stamped in gilt to the upper cover
- The title bears the Stott bibliography reference A5
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1905 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of Maugham's Andalusia travel sketches (full title The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing of Maugham's Andalusia travel sketches (full title The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia), published by William Heinemann in London in January 1905 in a stated edition of 1,250 copies, with a photogravure frontispiece of the Madonna under a tissue guard. The first-issue binding is quarter parchment (white vellum spine) over Madonna-blue paper-covered boards, lettered in gilt to the spine and with the author's insignia stamped in gilt to the upper cover. The title bears the Stott bibliography reference A5.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann 1905 is the true first; the US Knopf edition (1920) is a later, revised printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Land of the Blessed Virgin* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-land-of-the-blessed-virgin
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.