# Is "The Sandcastle" by Iris Murdoch a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch (Chatto & Windus, 1957) is identified by: True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1957 — Murdoch's third novel — 286 pp., first impression. The London Chatto & Windus 1957 edition is the true first and precedes the American edition (The Viking Press, New York, 1957), which is secondary.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1957 — Murdoch's third novel — 286 pp., first impression
- Bound in original green cloth/boards lettered in gilt on the spine; the first impression carries the 1957 Chatto & Windus imprint with no later-impression statement (no number line)
- The dust jacket was designed by Charles Mozley and should be present and unclipped (price present at the spine) on a first-issue copy; a Book Society wrap-around band accompanied some copies
- Uncorrected proof copies are also recorded
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iris Murdoch |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1957 — Murdoch's third novel — 286 pp., first impression |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first published by Chatto & Windus, London, 1957 — Murdoch's third novel — 286 pp., first impression. Bound in original green cloth/boards lettered in gilt on the spine; the first impression carries the 1957 Chatto & Windus imprint with no later-impression statement (no number line). The dust jacket was designed by Charles Mozley and should be present and unclipped (price present at the spine) on a first-issue copy; a Book Society wrap-around band accompanied some copies. Uncorrected proof copies are also recorded.

## Is this the true first?
The London Chatto & Windus 1957 edition is the true first and precedes the American edition (The Viking Press, New York, 1957), which is secondary. English original.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club tell: the Reprint Society / World Books edition (London, 1959) is quarter-bound in cream with wine/maroon boards and carries a different jacket; it is frequently mis-offered as the first. Any copy in that binding, or wearing a World Books/Reprint Society jacket over Chatto sheets, is not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sandcastle* by Iris Murdoch a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sandcastle
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.