# Is "Venusberg" by Anthony Powell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Venusberg by Anthony Powell (Gerald Duckworth, 1932) is identified by: First printing, London: Duckworth, 1932, in the publisher's original grey cloth lettered in gilt at the spine, issued in the pictorial dustwrapper designed by Misha Black. London: Duckworth, 1932 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, London: Duckworth, 1932, in the publisher's original grey cloth lettered in gilt at the spine, issued in the pictorial dustwrapper designed by Misha Black
- Powell's second novel, published by Duckworth where he then worked; by the author's own recollection the edition ran to fewer than three thousand copies
- Publisher imprint reads Gerald Duckworth
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Powell |
| Publisher | Gerald Duckworth |
| Year | 1932 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, London: Duckworth, 1932, in the publisher's original grey cloth lettered in gilt at the spine, issued in the pictorial… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing, London: Duckworth, 1932, in the publisher's original grey cloth lettered in gilt at the spine, issued in the pictorial dustwrapper designed by Misha Black. Powell's second novel, published by Duckworth where he then worked; by the author's own recollection the edition ran to fewer than three thousand copies.

## Is this the true first?
London: Duckworth, 1932 is the true first. No US edition appeared until 1952, when Periscope-Holliday (New York) issued it together with Agents and Patients in a single volume titled Two Novels: Venusberg and Agents and Patients.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Venusberg* by Anthony Powell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/venusberg
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.