# Is "The Mixture as Before" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mixture as Before by W. Somerset Maugham (William Heinemann, 1940) is identified by: Collection of ten short stories. UK Heinemann is the cited true first; US Doubleday, Doran followed in 1940, so the two are effectively concurrent 1940 issues with the London Heinemann given precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collection of ten short stories
- First printing
- The UK William Heinemann edition (London, 1940) is the standard true first, bound in blue publisher's cloth lettered in gilt and black with Maugham's device (the Moorish sign against the evil eye) to the front board, and issued in the original printed dust jacket
- The US Doubleday, Doran edition also appeared in 1940, in black cloth with the beehive/device motif to the front board and gilt spine lettering
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collection of ten short stories |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Collection of ten short stories. First printing. The UK William Heinemann edition (London, 1940) is the standard true first, bound in blue publisher's cloth lettered in gilt and black with Maugham's device (the Moorish sign against the evil eye) to the front board, and issued in the original printed dust jacket. The US Doubleday, Doran edition also appeared in 1940, in black cloth with the beehive/device motif to the front board and gilt spine lettering.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the cited true first; US Doubleday, Doran followed in 1940, so the two are effectively concurrent 1940 issues with the London Heinemann given precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted for the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mixture as Before* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mixture-as-before
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.