# Is "The Man of Property (first volume of The Forsyte Saga)" by John Galsworthy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man of Property (first volume of The Forsyte Saga) by John Galsworthy (William Heinemann, 1906) is identified by: The true first is the William Heinemann (London, 1906) edition in the publisher's original green cloth, with the title lettered in gilt to the spine and front board and the Heinemann windmill device blind-stamped to the rear board. Galsworthy wrote in English, so the original-language first edition IS the true first: William Heinemann, London, 1906, with the page-200 broken-music-note point (an inscribed copy dated 6 April 1906 confirms the April 1906 London publication).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the William Heinemann (London, 1906) edition in the publisher's original green cloth, with the title lettered in gilt to the spine and front board and the Heinemann windmill device blind-stamped to the rear board
- The primary point of issue, cited consistently across reputable dealers, is the "broken beam in the music" (a broken/defective musical note) printed on page 200; genuine first-issue copies show this broken note
- A scarcer secondary point noted in dealer descriptions is the presence of tipped-in fly-titles for Parts II and III, with copies retaining these described as very rare — though this is a trade-catalogue observation, not one confirmed by a formal bibliography
- Physical verification of page 200 is essential, as the binding alone does not distinguish the first issue
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Galsworthy |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1906 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the William Heinemann (London, 1906) edition in the publisher's original green cloth, with the title lettered in gilt to… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the William Heinemann (London, 1906) edition in the publisher's original green cloth, with the title lettered in gilt to the spine and front board and the Heinemann windmill device blind-stamped to the rear board. The primary point of issue, cited consistently across reputable dealers, is the "broken beam in the music" (a broken/defective musical note) printed on page 200; genuine first-issue copies show this broken note. A scarcer secondary point noted in dealer descriptions is the presence of tipped-in fly-titles for Parts II and III, with copies retaining these described as very rare — though this is a trade-catalogue observation, not one confirmed by a formal bibliography. Physical verification of page 200 is essential, as the binding alone does not distinguish the first issue.

## Is this the true first?
Galsworthy wrote in English, so the original-language first edition IS the true first: William Heinemann, London, 1906, with the page-200 broken-music-note point (an inscribed copy dated 6 April 1906 confirms the April 1906 London publication). There is no foreign-language "true first" to distinguish; the precedence question collectors actually ask is London vs. New York. The first American edition was published by G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, also in 1906 (a later Putnam / Knickerbocker printing is dated 1908). The Heinemann London printing precedes and is regarded as the true first; the Putnam New York issue is the first American edition, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Beware later Heinemann reprints in similar green cloth that lack the page-200 broken-music point — always physically verify page 200. The Forsyte Saga was hugely reprinted, so the market is flooded with later omnibus editions (the single-volume 1922 collected The Forsyte Saga and countless Heinemann, Scribner's, and Grosset & Dunlap reprints) frequently mislabeled "first edition"; none of these are the 1906 first of The Man of Property. Contrary to a common assumption, there ARE fine-press/book-club editions that trap the unwary: a Heritage Press edition (New York, 1964, illustrated by Charles Mozley, introduction by Evelyn Waugh) and a companion Limited Editions Club issue (1964, signed by Mozley, limited to 1,500) are routinely catalogued as "First Edition thus" and are sometimes mislabeled "First Edition; First Printing" by sellers — they are reprints, not the 1906 first. Confirm the standalone 1906 Heinemann title page and the page-200 point before accepting any copy as the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man of Property (first volume of The Forsyte Saga)* by John Galsworthy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-of-property
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.