# Is "The Trembling of a Leaf" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Trembling of a Leaf by W. Somerset Maugham (George H. Doran, 1921) is identified by: True first is the New York George H. US Doran (New York, September 1921) is the true first; the UK Heinemann edition followed in October 1921 and was bound from American sheets.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the New York George H. Doran edition, issued September 1921 (3000 copies), preceding the English edition
- Identified by the publisher's GHD monogram on both the title and copyright pages; this device was first used on a Maugham book here, and later impressions lack it
- Contains the story 'Rain' (Miss Thompson)
- Publisher imprint reads George H. Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | George H. Doran |
| Year | 1921 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the New York George H. Doran edition, issued September 1921 (3000 copies), preceding the English edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the New York George H. Doran edition, issued September 1921 (3000 copies), preceding the English edition. Identified by the publisher's GHD monogram on both the title and copyright pages; this device was first used on a Maugham book here, and later impressions lack it. Contains the story 'Rain' (Miss Thompson).

## Is this the true first?
US Doran (New York, September 1921) is the true first; the UK Heinemann edition followed in October 1921 and was bound from American sheets. The GHD monogram is the key identifying point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Trembling of a Leaf* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-trembling-of-a-leaf
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.