# Is "The Sea, the Sea" by Iris Murdoch a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sea, the Sea by Iris Murdoch (Chatto & Windus, 1978) is identified by: First printing of Murdoch's Booker Prize-winning nineteenth novel, 502 pages, in publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the spine. Chatto & Windus, London, 1978 is the true first; Viking, New York, 1978 is the first US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of Murdoch's Booker Prize-winning nineteenth novel, 502 pages, in publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the spine
- The first-state dust jacket reproduces a Hokusai wave image (after 'The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa') and carries the publisher's printed price on the flap; confirm the printed price is present rather than citing any amount
- UK first precedes the US Viking edition of 1978
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iris Murdoch |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of Murdoch's Booker Prize-winning nineteenth novel, 502 pages, in publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing of Murdoch's Booker Prize-winning nineteenth novel, 502 pages, in publisher's green cloth boards lettered in gilt on the spine. The first-state dust jacket reproduces a Hokusai wave image (after 'The Hollow of the Deep-Sea Wave off Kanagawa') and carries the publisher's printed price on the flap; confirm the printed price is present rather than citing any amount. UK first precedes the US Viking edition of 1978.

## Is this the true first?
Chatto & Windus, London, 1978 is the true first; Viking, New York, 1978 is the first US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are stated on the copyright page; book-club and US editions are distinguished by imprint and jacket. The priority copy is the London Chatto & Windus first in green cloth with the Hokusai-wave jacket.

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