# Is "Then and Now" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Then and Now by W. Somerset Maugham (Doubleday & Co., 1946) is identified by: Historical novel about Machiavelli. Both the US Doubleday and UK Heinemann editions are dated 1946.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Historical novel about Machiavelli
- Both the US Doubleday & Co. edition and the UK William Heinemann edition appeared in 1946
- The US Doubleday printing is widely catalogued as the first American edition
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | Doubleday & Co. |
| Year | 1946 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Historical novel about Machiavelli |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Historical novel about Machiavelli. Both the US Doubleday & Co. edition and the UK William Heinemann edition appeared in 1946. The US Doubleday printing is widely catalogued as the first American edition.

## Is this the true first?
Both the US Doubleday and UK Heinemann editions are dated 1946. Reliable sources do not give firm month-level publication dates, so international precedence between the two is not firmly established; the US Doubleday edition is the standard American first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue noted for the first appearance.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Then and Now* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/then-and-now
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.