# Is "Under the Net" by Iris Murdoch a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Under the Net by Iris Murdoch (Chatto & Windus, 1954) is identified by: Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 — Murdoch's first novel. Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 is the true first; Viking, New York, 1954 is the first US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 — Murdoch's first novel
- Bound in original light green cloth, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, octavo
- Original pictorial dust jacket designed by Victor Ross, with the printed price at the foot of the front flap (present, unclipped-agnostic)
- The scarce first state carries a thirteen-line blurb on the half-title that was removed at the author's request; its presence is a key first-issue point
- UK first precedes the US Viking edition of the same year
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iris Murdoch |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 — Murdoch's first novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 — Murdoch's first novel. Bound in original light green cloth, spine lettered and ruled in gilt, octavo. Original pictorial dust jacket designed by Victor Ross, with the printed price at the foot of the front flap (present, unclipped-agnostic). The scarce first state carries a thirteen-line blurb on the half-title that was removed at the author's request; its presence is a key first-issue point. UK first precedes the US Viking edition of the same year.

## Is this the true first?
Chatto & Windus, London, 1954 is the true first; Viking, New York, 1954 is the first US edition. As her debut it is the cornerstone Murdoch title, distinguished from the US issue by the Chatto imprint, green cloth, and the Victor Ross jacket with sterling price.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are noted on the verso. The US Viking edition is distinguished by imprint, binding, and a dollar-priced jacket rather than the sterling-priced London jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Under the Net* by Iris Murdoch a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/under-the-net
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.