# Is "When Last I Died" by Gladys Mitchell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of When Last I Died by Gladys Mitchell (Michael Joseph, 1941) is identified by: UK Michael Joseph first edition, London, 1941, in wartime-standard cloth. UK Michael Joseph 1941 is the true first; the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Michael Joseph first edition, London, 1941, in wartime-standard cloth
- The thirteenth Mrs Bradley novel and a scarce wartime first
- The first printing shows the Michael Joseph imprint and no later-impression statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Michael Joseph
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gladys Mitchell |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph |
| Year | 1941 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Michael Joseph first edition, London, 1941, in wartime-standard cloth |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Michael Joseph first edition, London, 1941, in wartime-standard cloth. The thirteenth Mrs Bradley novel and a scarce wartime first. The first printing shows the Michael Joseph imprint and no later-impression statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
UK Michael Joseph 1941 is the true first; the US Alfred A. Knopf edition followed in 1942 and is a first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Joseph reprints and Penguin paperbacks are reprints. Wartime firsts in the dust jacket are genuinely scarce.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *When Last I Died* by Gladys Mitchell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/when-last-i-died
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.