# Is "The Quiller Memorandum" by Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Quiller Memorandum by Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor) (Collins, 1965) is identified by: Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the copyright page, and no date later than the copyright date. The census claim holds.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the copyright page, and no date later than the copyright date
- Later Collins impressions are noted there
- Octavo, 254 pages, bound in green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine
- The flat red dust jacket carries the title with an espionage tagline referencing Berlin 1965; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy
- The decisive point is the title page: a true first must read "The Berlin Memorandum"
- Any English-language Collins copy titled "The Quiller Memorandum" is the 1967 reissue, not the first
- Publisher imprint reads Collins

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor) |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1965 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Collins printed no edition statement on firsts of this period, so the first is identified negatively: no impression or reprint line on the copyright page, and no date later than the copyright date. Later Collins impressions are noted there. Octavo, 254 pages, bound in green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine. The flat red dust jacket carries the title with an espionage tagline referencing Berlin 1965; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy. The decisive point is the title page: a true first must read "The Berlin Memorandum". Any English-language Collins copy titled "The Quiller Memorandum" is the 1967 reissue, not the first.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim holds. The true first is Collins (London), 1965, titled The Berlin Memorandum — the only English-language appearance under that title. The Simon & Schuster (New York) 1965 edition, retitled The Quiller Memorandum, is the first American edition and follows the Collins; both are collected, the US edition being the source of the title the book is now known by and under which it won the 1966 Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel (it also took the 1966 Grand Prix de Littérature Policière). First-thus trap: Collins reissued the novel in the UK in 1967 as The Quiller Memorandum to capitalise on the Harold Pinter-scripted film; that reissue is a first thus, not a first edition. The 2004 Forge edition with an Otto Penzler introduction is likewise a first thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of the 1965 Collins first is documented in the sources consulted. The far more common confusions for this title are the 1967 Collins retitled film-tie-in reissue and later paperbacks, not book-club printings. General tells apply to any suspect copy: blind stamp to the rear board, no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and cheaper bulk.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Quiller Memorandum* by Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-quiller-memorandum
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.