# Is "The Military Philosophers" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Military Philosophers by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1968) is identified by: First printing, Heinemann, London, 1968, the ninth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time and the third book of the war trilogy. The Heinemann London edition of 1968 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, Heinemann, London, 1968, the ninth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time and the third book of the war trilogy
- Issued in publisher's red cloth in a dust jacket designed by James Broom-Lynne, the jacket printed in black, yellow and red and retaining its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, Heinemann, London, 1968, the ninth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time and the third book of the war trilogy |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing, Heinemann, London, 1968, the ninth volume of A Dance to the Music of Time and the third book of the war trilogy. Issued in publisher's red cloth in a dust jacket designed by James Broom-Lynne, the jacket printed in black, yellow and red and retaining its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The Heinemann London edition of 1968 is the true first. The US edition was published by Little, Brown in 1968, not 1969; Little, Brown first American edition copies are catalogued at 1968 by multiple dealers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club and reprint-society printings followed the trade first and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Military Philosophers* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-military-philosophers
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.