# Is "Up at the Villa" by W. Somerset Maugham a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Up at the Villa by W. Somerset Maugham (Doubleday Doran, 1941) is identified by: The US Doubleday, Doran edition is the true first: sources indicate it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by about a month, both appearing in 1941. US Doubleday, Doran is the true first; UK Heinemann (1941) followed roughly a month later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Doubleday, Doran edition is the true first: sources indicate it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by about a month, both appearing in 1941
- The Doubleday first is bound in black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with the Maugham 'moon and hand' device blind-stamped on the front board, top edges tinted and fore-edges deckled, in a printed dust jacket that should retain its flap price
- The UK Heinemann issue is bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and front board
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday Doran
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | W. Somerset Maugham |
| Publisher | Doubleday Doran |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Doubleday, Doran edition is the true first: sources indicate it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by about a month, both appearing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Novella. The US Doubleday, Doran edition is the true first: sources indicate it preceded the UK Heinemann edition by about a month, both appearing in 1941. The Doubleday first is bound in black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, with the Maugham 'moon and hand' device blind-stamped on the front board, top edges tinted and fore-edges deckled, in a printed dust jacket that should retain its flap price. The UK Heinemann issue is bound in blue cloth with gilt lettering to spine and front board.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday, Doran is the true first; UK Heinemann (1941) followed roughly a month later. The two are readily told apart by binding: black cloth with the blind-stamped Maugham device (US) versus blue cloth (UK).

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Up at the Villa* by W. Somerset Maugham a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/up-at-the-villa
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.