# Is "Twenty-One Stories" by Graham Greene a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Twenty-One Stories by Graham Greene (William Heinemann, 1954) is identified by: First printing; revised and expanded from Nineteen Stories (1947): two stories dropped ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') and four added ('The Hint of an Explanation,' 'The Blue Film,' 'Special Duties,' 'The Destructors'). Heinemann London 1954 is the true first edition of this collection; the first US edition was Viking 1962.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing; revised and expanded from Nineteen Stories
- : two stories dropped ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') and four added ('The Hint of an Explanation,' 'The Blue Film,' 'Special Duties,' 'The Destructors')
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Greene |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing; revised and expanded from Nineteen Stories |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing; revised and expanded from Nineteen Stories (1947): two stories dropped ('The Lottery Ticket' and 'The Other Side of the Border') and four added ('The Hint of an Explanation,' 'The Blue Film,' 'Special Duties,' 'The Destructors').

## Is this the true first?
Heinemann London 1954 is the true first edition of this collection; the first US edition was Viking 1962. A first-thus assembly.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later reprints and book-club printings exist; the true first is the original Heinemann printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Twenty-One Stories* by Graham Greene a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/twenty-one-stories
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.