# Is "The Sheltering Sky" by Paul Bowles a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (John Lehmann, London, 1949) is identified by: UK true first (John Lehmann, London, September 1949): publisher's grey cloth, the spine titled in gilt on a blue ground; octavo; pictorial dust jacket designed by Fred Uhlman, priced jacket. TRUE FIRST IS UK — confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK true first (John Lehmann, London, September 1949): publisher's grey cloth, the spine titled in gilt on a blue ground; octavo; pictorial dust jacket designed by Fred Uhlman, priced jacket
- The first impression's copyright page states first publication in 1949 with no impression statement — the point matters because Lehmann reprinted almost immediately: a stated second impression followed within the same month (September 1949) and a stated third impression in October 1949, so any copy carrying an impression statement is not the first
- First American (New Directions, New York, 1949): publisher's tan cloth, spine stamped in blue and black
- 318 pp; dust jacket designed by Alvin Lustig, priced jacket
- The first printing carries 'First Published 1949' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement
- New Directions used no number line, so the absence of added printing history is the identification
- Publisher imprint reads John Lehmann, London

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul Bowles |
| Publisher | John Lehmann, London |
| Year | 1949 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK true first (John Lehmann, London, September 1949): publisher's grey cloth, the spine titled in gilt on a blue ground; octavo; pictorial… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK true first (John Lehmann, London, September 1949): publisher's grey cloth, the spine titled in gilt on a blue ground; octavo; pictorial dust jacket designed by Fred Uhlman, priced jacket. The first impression's copyright page states first publication in 1949 with no impression statement — the point matters because Lehmann reprinted almost immediately: a stated second impression followed within the same month (September 1949) and a stated third impression in October 1949, so any copy carrying an impression statement is not the first. First American (New Directions, New York, 1949): publisher's tan cloth, spine stamped in blue and black; 318 pp; dust jacket designed by Alvin Lustig, priced jacket. The first printing carries 'First Published 1949' on the copyright page with no later-printing statement; New Directions used no number line, so the absence of added printing history is the identification. REFUTED IN PART: the census claim of 'first-issue binding points' for the New Directions edition is not documented in any source consulted — dealers describe a single tan-cloth binding, and the occasional listing citing 'gray cloth' for a New Directions copy appears to be confusing it with the London binding. Facsimile Lustig jackets are supplied on the market and are a known trap.

## Is this the true first?
TRUE FIRST IS UK — confirmed. Doubleday declined the manuscript as insufficiently novelistic, and John Lehmann Ltd (London) published it first, in September 1949; New Directions (New York) followed later the same year. The census claim of 'December 1949' for New Directions is CORRECTED: sources consulted report the American edition appearing in October 1949, though the exact month is not confirmed to two independent bibliographic authorities and should be treated as approximate. Both editions are collected: the Lehmann as the true first, the New Directions as the first American edition (and the more familiar book, on the strength of the Lustig jacket).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition documented for either the Lehmann or the New Directions issue in the sources consulted. The reprint tell for the American edition is added printing history on the copyright page; for the London edition it is a stated second or third impression. Supplied facsimile jackets are the more common trap for both.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sheltering Sky* by Paul Bowles a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sheltering-sky
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.