# Is "The Story of Art" by E. H. Gombrich a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Story of Art by E. H. Gombrich (Phaidon Press, 1950) is identified by: The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp. UK precedence: Phaidon, London, 1950 is the true first in the original English.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp. with about 370 illustrations
- The decisive point is the copyright page reading 'First published 1950' with NO later-edition statement: Phaidon revised the book almost immediately, issuing a 'Second edition 1950' and a 'Third edition 1951', so any copy whose copyright page adds a second- or third-edition line is not the first printing
- Reported binding cloth varies between dealers (grey, oatmeal, cream/beige, lettered in red and gilt), so treat cloth colour as non-definitive and rely on the printing statement; the first was issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Phaidon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | E. H. Gombrich |
| Publisher | Phaidon Press |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp. with about 370… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The true first is Phaidon Press, London, 1950 (the original English-language edition), a thick octavo of 462 pp. with about 370 illustrations. The decisive point is the copyright page reading 'First published 1950' with NO later-edition statement: Phaidon revised the book almost immediately, issuing a 'Second edition 1950' and a 'Third edition 1951', so any copy whose copyright page adds a second- or third-edition line is not the first printing. Reported binding cloth varies between dealers (grey, oatmeal, cream/beige, lettered in red and gilt), so treat cloth colour as non-definitive and rely on the printing statement; the first was issued in a pictorial dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK precedence: Phaidon, London, 1950 is the true first in the original English. There is no earlier US edition; US-market copies were distributed subsequently and the London 1950 first holds precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book has run to sixteen numbered editions since 1950 with expanded and reset content; all post-1950 'editions' are revised reprints identified by their edition statement, and the later pocket/luxury reissues are 'first thus' formats, not the 1950 first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Story of Art* by E. H. Gombrich a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-story-of-art
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.