# Is "The Valley of Bones" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Valley of Bones by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1964) is identified by: First printing (Heinemann, London, 1964) of the seventh volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, the first book of the war trilogy. The Heinemann London edition of 1964 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing (Heinemann, London, 1964) of the seventh volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, the first book of the war trilogy
- Issued in publisher's red cloth with gilt titling to a black square (label) on the spine, in a dust jacket designed by Broom-Lynne that should retain its printed price (issued at the printed price)
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1964 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing (Heinemann, London, 1964) of the seventh volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, the first book of the war trilogy |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing (Heinemann, London, 1964) of the seventh volume of A Dance to the Music of Time, the first book of the war trilogy. Issued in publisher's red cloth with gilt titling to a black square (label) on the spine, in a dust jacket designed by Broom-Lynne that should retain its printed price (issued at the printed price).

## Is this the true first?
The Heinemann London edition of 1964 is the true first. The US edition was published by Little, Brown the same year, 1964, and follows the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club and reprint-society printings followed the trade first and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Valley of Bones* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-valley-of-bones
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.