# Is "The Nice and the Good" by Iris Murdoch a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Nice and the Good by Iris Murdoch (Chatto & Windus, 1968) is identified by: True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1968, 350 pp. The London Chatto & Windus 1968 edition is the true first and precedes the American edition (The Viking Press, New York, 1968), which is secondary.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1968, 350 pp
- ([6], 7-350, [2]), first impression
- Bound in brown paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, with a brown top-stain and white endpapers
- The dust jacket was designed by John Ward and should be present and unclipped (price present, marked 'net', at the spine) on a first-issue copy; some copies carry a black 'Book Society Choice' wrap-around band
- First impression is identified by the 1968 Chatto & Windus imprint with no later-printing statement (no number line)
- The novel was shortlisted for the 1969 Booker Prize
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iris Murdoch |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1968, 350 pp |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1968, 350 pp. ([6], 7-350, [2]), first impression. Bound in brown paper-covered boards lettered in gilt on the spine, with a brown top-stain and white endpapers. The dust jacket was designed by John Ward and should be present and unclipped (price present, marked 'net', at the spine) on a first-issue copy; some copies carry a black 'Book Society Choice' wrap-around band. First impression is identified by the 1968 Chatto & Windus imprint with no later-printing statement (no number line). The novel was shortlisted for the 1969 Booker Prize.

## Is this the true first?
The London Chatto & Windus 1968 edition is the true first and precedes the American edition (The Viking Press, New York, 1968), which is secondary. English original.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No separate book-club edition was identified; the 'Book Society Choice' band is issued with the Chatto trade first and is not itself a book-club edition. Later Chatto, Penguin and Triad printings are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Nice and the Good* by Iris Murdoch a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-nice-and-the-good
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.