# Is "The Third Man and The Fallen Idol" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Third Man and The Fallen Idol by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1950) is identified by: First printing in black cloth with silver spine lettering, in pictorial dust jacket. Heinemann London 1950 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing in black cloth with silver spine lettering, in pictorial dust jacket
- The first book appearance of The Third Man, set from Greene's original manuscript (the film treatment)
- Paired with The Fallen Idol
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1950 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing in black cloth with silver spine lettering, in pictorial dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing in black cloth with silver spine lettering, in pictorial dust jacket. The first book appearance of The Third Man, set from Greene's original manuscript (the film treatment). Paired with The Fallen Idol.

## Is this the true first?
Heinemann London 1950 is the true first edition. A US Viking edition also appeared in 1950, but the Heinemann issue is the recognized first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club issues exist; the true first is the original Heinemann printing in jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Third Man and The Fallen Idol* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-third-man-and-the-fallen-idol
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.