# Is "Under Western Eyes" by Joseph Conrad a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Under Western Eyes by Joseph Conrad (Methuen & Co., 1911) is identified by: First edition, Methuen & Co., London, 1911 (published October 1911; the recorded date is 5 October 1911), in an edition of 3,000 copies; pagination [vi], 377, [1] pp, followed by 32 pp of publisher's advertisements dated September 1911 — the dated terminal ads are the key first-issue point. UK true first: Methuen (London), October 1911, precedes the first American edition, Harper & Brothers (New York), also October 1911; the two fall in the same month but the Methuen holds precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Methuen & Co., London, 1911 (published October 1911; the recorded date is 5 October 1911), in an edition of 3,000 copies; pagination [vi], 377, [1] pp, followed by 32 pp of publisher's advertisements dated September 1911 — the dated terminal ads are the key first-issue point
- Bound in red linen-grain cloth, the spine lettered and decorated in gilt, and issued in a rare green dust jacket printed in black
- Cited as Cagle A14a
- , Wise 19, Keating 88, and Supino A14.1.0
- Publisher imprint reads Methuen & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joseph Conrad |
| Publisher | Methuen & Co. |
| Year | 1911 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Methuen & Co., London, 1911 (published October 1911; the recorded date is 5 October 1911), in an edition of 3,000 copies… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, Methuen & Co., London, 1911 (published October 1911; the recorded date is 5 October 1911), in an edition of 3,000 copies; pagination [vi], 377, [1] pp, followed by 32 pp of publisher's advertisements dated September 1911 — the dated terminal ads are the key first-issue point. Bound in red linen-grain cloth, the spine lettered and decorated in gilt, and issued in a rare green dust jacket printed in black. Cited as Cagle A14a(1), Wise 19, Keating 88, and Supino A14.1.0.

## Is this the true first?
UK true first: Methuen (London), October 1911, precedes the first American edition, Harper & Brothers (New York), also October 1911; the two fall in the same month but the Methuen holds precedence. The Harper first American is readily distinguished — blue cloth stamped in gilt and an orange dust jacket printed in black, versus the Methuen's red cloth and green jacket.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
First issue carries the 32 pp of terminal advertisements dated September 1911; the dated ads and the 1911 title-page imprint identify the first printing, and later impressions differ. No book-club edition is documented for the 1911 first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Under Western Eyes* by Joseph Conrad a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/under-western-eyes
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.