# Is "To Keep the Ball Rolling: The Memoirs of Anthony Powell (Infants of the Spring)" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of To Keep the Ball Rolling: The Memoirs of Anthony Powell (Infants of the Spring) by Anthony Powell (Heinemann, 1976) is identified by: First printing published by Heinemann, London, 1976; volume one of Powell's four-volume memoirs, subtitled Infants of the Spring (the remaining volumes are Messengers of Day, Faces in My Time and The Strangers All Are Gone, 1978-1982). UK Heinemann is the true first (London, 1976); the US Holt, Rinehart and Winston edition (titled Infants of the Spring) followed in 1977.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing published by Heinemann, London, 1976; volume one of Powell's four-volume memoirs, subtitled Infants of the Spring (the remaining volumes are Messengers of Day, Faces in My Time and The Strangers All Are Gone, 1978-1982)
- Issued in cloth with photographic plates, 209 pages, ISBN 0-434-59922-6
- The dust jacket carries the printed original price on the flap, which should be present on an unclipped first-state jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1976 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing published by Heinemann, London, 1976; volume one of Powell's four-volume memoirs, subtitled Infants of the Spring (the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing published by Heinemann, London, 1976; volume one of Powell's four-volume memoirs, subtitled Infants of the Spring (the remaining volumes are Messengers of Day, Faces in My Time and The Strangers All Are Gone, 1978-1982). Issued in cloth with photographic plates, 209 pages, ISBN 0-434-59922-6. The dust jacket carries the printed original price on the flap, which should be present on an unclipped first-state jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann is the true first (London, 1976); the US Holt, Rinehart and Winston edition (titled Infants of the Spring) followed in 1977.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; the first is identified by the Heinemann imprint and 1976 date with no later-impression statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *To Keep the Ball Rolling: The Memoirs of Anthony Powell (Infants of the Spring)* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/to-keep-the-ball-rolling-the-memoirs-of-anthony-powell-infan
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.