# Is "The Merry-Go-Round" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Merry-Go-Round by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1904) is identified by: First printing in blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper board with the author's gilt-stamped device. UK Heinemann is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper board with the author's gilt-stamped device
- 3,000 copies printed; unsold sheets were remaindered to The Times Book Club, which reissued the book with a new binding and title page, so the true first carries the Heinemann title page and binding
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1904 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper board with the author's gilt-stamped device |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing in blue cloth lettered in gilt on spine and upper board with the author's gilt-stamped device. 3,000 copies printed; unsold sheets were remaindered to The Times Book Club, which reissued the book with a new binding and title page, so the true first carries the Heinemann title page and binding.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; note the later Times Book Club remainder reissue with a substituted binding and title leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Merry-Go-Round* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-merry-go-round
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.