# Is "The Years" by Virginia Woolf a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Years by Virginia Woolf (The Hogarth Press, 1937) is identified by: True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a; Woolmer 423), 18,142 copies, in pale jade-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a cream Vanessa Bell dust jacket printed in black and brown. The Hogarth (London), 15 March 1937 edition precedes the first American edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1937, 10,000 copies, issued the following month); the London Hogarth is the priority true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a
- Woolmer 423), 18,142 copies, in pale jade-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a cream Vanessa Bell dust jacket printed in black and brown
- There is no number line and no additional printing statement (Hogarth trade firsts of this period carry none)
- Jacket caution is a condition matter, not an issue point: the jacket spine browns readily and is scarce bright
- Publisher imprint reads The Hogarth Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Virginia Woolf |
| Publisher | The Hogarth Press |
| Year | 1937 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
True first is the Hogarth Press, London, published 15 March 1937 (Kirkpatrick & Clarke A22a; Woolmer 423), 18,142 copies, in pale jade-green cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in a cream Vanessa Bell dust jacket printed in black and brown. There is no number line and no additional printing statement (Hogarth trade firsts of this period carry none). Jacket caution is a condition matter, not an issue point: the jacket spine browns readily and is scarce bright.

## Is this the true first?
The Hogarth (London), 15 March 1937 edition precedes the first American edition (Harcourt, Brace, New York, 1937, 10,000 copies, issued the following month); the London Hogarth is the priority true first. This is Woolf's last novel published in her lifetime.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Years* by Virginia Woolf a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-years-virginia-woolf
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.