# Is "The White Goddess" by Robert Graves a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The White Goddess by Robert Graves (Faber and Faber, 1948) is identified by: True first is Faber and Faber Ltd., 24 Russell Square, London, published 21 May 1948 (Higginson bibliography, via the Robert Graves Society, entry A61a). The Faber (London) issue of 21 May 1948 precedes the first American edition, Creative Age Press, New York, 26 August 1948 (bibliography A61b), so London is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is Faber and Faber Ltd., 24 Russell Square, London, published 21 May 1948 (Higginson bibliography, via the Robert Graves Society, entry A61a)
- Bound in medium blue cloth with the spine lettered in gilt within triple rules; issued in a canary-yellow dust jacket printed in black and red, with a priced jacket; the London sheets have all edges trimmed and the top edges stained brown
- Stated first printing of 2,340 copies; there is no printing statement or number line, and later Faber impressions carry a reprint notice on the verso
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Graves |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1948 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is Faber and Faber Ltd., 24 Russell Square, London, published 21 May 1948 (Higginson bibliography, via the Robert Graves… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is Faber and Faber Ltd., 24 Russell Square, London, published 21 May 1948 (Higginson bibliography, via the Robert Graves Society, entry A61a). Bound in medium blue cloth with the spine lettered in gilt within triple rules; issued in a canary-yellow dust jacket printed in black and red, with a priced jacket; the London sheets have all edges trimmed and the top edges stained brown. Stated first printing of 2,340 copies; there is no printing statement or number line, and later Faber impressions carry a reprint notice on the verso.

## Is this the true first?
The Faber (London) issue of 21 May 1948 precedes the first American edition, Creative Age Press, New York, 26 August 1948 (bibliography A61b), so London is the true first. The American edition is a distinct setting bound in brown cloth stamped with a device of three cranes and a star, in a white jacket printed in brown, black and yellow; the London top edges are stained brown while the New York copies are only trimmed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Earliest Creative Age (New York) copies lack the 'PRINTED IN U.S.A.' line on the back jacket flap. Faber's later amended and enlarged edition is a revised text ('first thus') and must not be confused with the 1948 first; reprint impressions state the later printing on the verso.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The White Goddess* by Robert Graves a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-white-goddess
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.