# Is "The Loving Spirit" by Daphne du Maurier a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Loving Spirit by Daphne du Maurier (William Heinemann, 1931) is identified by: Daphne du Maurier's first novel: William Heinemann (London) 1931, published 23 February 1931. UK William Heinemann (London) 1931 is the true first — correct, and not her later, better-known house Gollancz, to which she moved in the mid-1930s.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Daphne du Maurier's first novel: William Heinemann (London) 1931, published 23 February 1931
- The first edition is bound in blue cloth/boards lettered in gilt to the spine, collating 399pp, in a scarce dust wrapper (the jacket is the key rarity on this title)
- Demand was immediate and a second impression was printed within weeks, so a genuine first must show no later-impression statement on the verso
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Daphne du Maurier |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1931 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Daphne du Maurier's first novel: William Heinemann (London) 1931, published 23 February 1931 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Daphne du Maurier's first novel: William Heinemann (London) 1931, published 23 February 1931. The first edition is bound in blue cloth/boards lettered in gilt to the spine, collating 399pp, in a scarce dust wrapper (the jacket is the key rarity on this title). Demand was immediate and a second impression was printed within weeks, so a genuine first must show no later-impression statement on the verso.

## Is this the true first?
UK William Heinemann (London) 1931 is the true first — correct, and not her later, better-known house Gollancz, to which she moved in the mid-1930s. The US Doubleday, Doran (New York) 1931 edition is the American first and followed the UK issue; both are collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A second Heinemann impression appeared within weeks of publication; the US Doubleday, Doran 1931 printing is the American edition, not a book club.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Loving Spirit* by Daphne du Maurier a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-loving-spirit
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.