# Is "The Memoirs of a Survivor" by Doris Lessing a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Memoirs of a Survivor by Doris Lessing (Octagon Press, 1974) is identified by: True first published by Octagon Press, London, in 1974 - an unusual small-press first for Lessing. The UK Octagon Press edition (1974) is the true first; the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first published by Octagon Press, London, in 1974 - an unusual small-press first for Lessing
- Octavo, green cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine, 182 pages followed by several leaves of publisher's advertisements, in the first-state dust jacket
- The jacket bears the printed price on the flap, which should be present on a collector's copy
- Publisher imprint reads Octagon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Doris Lessing |
| Publisher | Octagon Press |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first published by Octagon Press, London, in 1974 - an unusual small-press first for Lessing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first published by Octagon Press, London, in 1974 - an unusual small-press first for Lessing. Octavo, green cloth boards with gilt lettering to the spine, 182 pages followed by several leaves of publisher's advertisements, in the first-state dust jacket. The jacket bears the printed price on the flap, which should be present on a collector's copy.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Octagon Press edition (1974) is the true first; the US Alfred A. Knopf edition (New York, 1975) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition. The later Knopf US printing and subsequent paperbacks are reprints, not the precedence point.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Memoirs of a Survivor* by Doris Lessing a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-memoirs-of-a-survivor
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.