How to identify a first printing
- 1890-1921: year of publication printed on the TITLE PAGE of first editions; on later printings the title-page date was removed and a notice added to the copyright page (a title-page year is the first-printing tell for this era)
- From the 1920s onward: "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" stated on the copyright page, with later impressions noted beneath
- Modern Heinemann adopted number lines; lowest digit = printing
- First printing = statement present AND no list of subsequent impressions
Notable points & cautions
- Major literary house: Graham Greene, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, John Masters, Anthony Burgess, Olivia Manning
- Early-era (pre-1921) reliance on the title-page date is unusual and a common source of error if collectors only check the copyright page
- Windmill Press colophon appears on many mid-century titles
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Heinemann Educational, Secker & Warburg (later sibling), Mandarin (paperback), Windmill Press (printing arm). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my William Heinemann book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. 1890-1921: year of publication printed on the TITLE PAGE of first editions; on later printings the title-page date was removed and a notice added to the copyright page (a title-page year is the first-printing tell for this era) From the 1920s onward: "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" stated on the copyright page, with later impressions noted beneath
Does William Heinemann use a number line?
From the 1920s onward: "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" stated on the copyright page, with later impressions noted beneath
Is a book-club edition a William Heinemann first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Major literary house: Graham Greene, D.H. Lawrence, Somerset Maugham, John Masters, Anthony Burgess, Olivia Manning
What era does this cover?
This covers William Heinemann (1890-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
William Heinemann titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- A Burnt-Out Case (Graham Greene, 1961)
- A Buyer's Market (Anthony Powell, 1952)
- A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess, 1962)
- A Daughter's a Daughter (Mary Westmacott (Agatha Christie), 1952)
- A Grain of Wheat (James Ngugi (Ngugi wa Thiong'o), 1967)
- A Man of the People (Chinua Achebe, 1966)
- A Question of Upbringing (Anthony Powell, 1951)
- A Writer's Notebook (W. Somerset Maugham, 1949)
- Ah King (W. Somerset Maugham, 1933)
- Anthills of the Savannah (Chinua Achebe, 1987)
- Arrow of God (Chinua Achebe, 1964)
- Ashenden, or The British Agent (W. Somerset Maugham, 1928)
- At Lady Molly's (Anthony Powell, 1957)
- Beds in the East (Anthony Burgess, 1959)
- Books Do Furnish a Room (Anthony Powell, 1971)
- Brighton Rock (Graham Greene, 1938)
- Cakes and Ale (W. Somerset Maugham, 1930)
- Casanova's Chinese Restaurant (Anthony Powell, 1960)
- Catalina (W. Somerset Maugham, 1948)
- Christmas Holiday (W. Somerset Maugham, 1939)
- Creatures of Circumstance (W. Somerset Maugham, 1947)
- Devil of a State (Anthony Burgess, 1961)
- Devil on the Cross (Caitaani Mutharaba-Ini) (Ngugi wa Thiong'o, 1982)
- Don Fernando (W. Somerset Maugham, 1935)
Documenting 108 William Heinemann titles in all — browse the full title-by-title library →