# Is "Vile Bodies" by Evelyn Waugh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh (Chapman & Hall, 1930) is identified by: London: Chapman & Hall, 1930. The UK Chapman & Hall edition (1930) is the true first, preceding the US Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith edition of the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Chapman & Hall, 1930
- The verso of the title leaf carries 'First published 1930' with no later impression statement
- Black cloth, spine lettered in gilt
- First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price to the spine, with the rear-panel list of titles ending at Jeffery's 'Second Choice'; jackets are scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Chapman & Hall
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Evelyn Waugh |
| Publisher | Chapman & Hall |
| Year | 1930 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Chapman & Hall, 1930 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Chapman & Hall, 1930. The verso of the title leaf carries 'First published 1930' with no later impression statement. Black cloth, spine lettered in gilt. First-issue dust jacket priced the printed price to the spine, with the rear-panel list of titles ending at Jeffery's 'Second Choice'; jackets are scarce.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Chapman & Hall edition (1930) is the true first, preceding the US Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith edition of the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add an impression or 'reprinted' statement to the title verso.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Vile Bodies* by Evelyn Waugh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/vile-bodies
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.