# Is "The Liberal Imagination: Essays on Literature and Society" by Lionel Trilling a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Liberal Imagination: Essays on Literature and Society by Lionel Trilling (The Viking Press, 1950) is identified by: Publisher's cloth in a priced first-state dust jacket (jacket design by Robert Hallock). US Viking (New York) is the true first, April 1950; the UK edition (Secker & Warburg) followed in 1951.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Publisher's cloth in a priced first-state dust jacket (jacket design by Robert Hallock)
- The first printing states 'Published by The Viking Press in April 1950' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement
- Collation xvi plus 303 pages
- Publisher imprint reads The Viking Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lionel Trilling |
| Publisher | The Viking Press |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Publisher's cloth in a priced first-state dust jacket (jacket design by Robert Hallock) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Publisher's cloth in a priced first-state dust jacket (jacket design by Robert Hallock). The first printing states 'Published by The Viking Press in April 1950' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement. Collation xvi plus 303 pages.

## Is this the true first?
US Viking (New York) is the true first, April 1950; the UK edition (Secker & Warburg) followed in 1951.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement to the copyright page; confirm the 'Published by The Viking Press in April 1950' line stands alone with no additional printing notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Liberal Imagination: Essays on Literature and Society* by Lionel Trilling a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-liberal-imagination-essays-on-literature-and-society
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.