# Is "The Memorial" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Memorial by Christopher Isherwood (The Hogarth Press, 1932) is identified by: First edition published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, London, 1932, in an edition of 1,222 copies. The Hogarth Press London edition of 1932 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, London, 1932, in an edition of 1,222 copies
- The dust jacket was designed by John Banting and priced the printed price
- Binding states are recorded (an early state in pink woven linen and a later state in ochre cloth lettered in blue)
- Publisher imprint reads The Hogarth Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | The Hogarth Press |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, London, 1932, in an edition of 1,222 copies |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, London, 1932, in an edition of 1,222 copies. The dust jacket was designed by John Banting and priced the printed price. Binding states are recorded (an early state in pink woven linen and a later state in ochre cloth lettered in blue).

## Is this the true first?
The Hogarth Press London edition of 1932 is the true first. The first US edition was published later by New Directions (Norfolk, Connecticut) and does not precede the UK printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Memorial* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-memorial
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.