# Is "The Man Within" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Man Within by Graham Greene (Heinemann, 1929) is identified by: London: William Heinemann, 1929. The UK Heinemann edition of 1929 is the true first; the US Doubleday Doran edition (1929) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: William Heinemann, 1929
- Greene's first published novel, in an initial run of about 2,500 copies
- Original BLACK cloth (not blue) with a blind-stamped border and publisher's device to the boards, spine lettered in gilt; 'First published 1929' on the copyright page with no later-impression statement
- The correct first-issue dust jacket is with its printed price to the spine and carries the Oliver Onions 'Painted Face' review on the rear flap
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1929 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: William Heinemann, 1929 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
London: William Heinemann, 1929. Greene's first published novel, in an initial run of about 2,500 copies. Original BLACK cloth (not blue) with a blind-stamped border and publisher's device to the boards, spine lettered in gilt; 'First published 1929' on the copyright page with no later-impression statement. The correct first-issue dust jacket is with its printed price to the spine and carries the Oliver Onions 'Painted Face' review on the rear flap.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Heinemann edition of 1929 is the true first; the US Doubleday Doran edition (1929) follows. Greene later suppressed his earlier book of verse, so this is the first book he acknowledged.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No US book-club issue of note; identify reprints by added impression statements on the copyright page and by jackets lacking the correct the printed price and the Onions review blurb.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Man Within* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-man-within
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.