# Is "The Little Sister" by Raymond Chandler a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Little Sister by Raymond Chandler (Hamish Hamilton, 1949) is identified by: The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition, published June 1949, which precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (September 1949) by about three months. Precedence confirmed: the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (1949) PRECEDES the US Houghton Mifflin edition (1949) and is the true first of The Little Sister.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition, published June 1949, which precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (September 1949) by about three months
- First printing has no later-printing statement; first-issue jacket carries the printed price
- The US Houghton Mifflin printing is the true first American edition but is not the global first
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Raymond Chandler |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition, published June 1949, which precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (September 1949) by… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition, published June 1949, which precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (September 1949) by about three months. First printing has no later-printing statement; first-issue jacket carries the printed price. The US Houghton Mifflin printing is the true first American edition but is not the global first.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence confirmed: the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (1949) PRECEDES the US Houghton Mifflin edition (1949) and is the true first of The Little Sister.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later US printings are stated. US book-club editions exist for this title, typically blind-stamped with no price on the jacket and often lighter than the trade issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Little Sister* by Raymond Chandler a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-little-sister
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.