Cover of another edition of this book. The Hamish Hamilton 1956 jacket has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 22 Oct 2026.
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We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
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The first British edition is Hamish Hamilton, London, 1956, a small book of 183 pages, about 19 cm tall. Knopf published the American edition in New York the same year with 181 pages, so the page count helps tell the London edition from the New York one. Later British issues are paperbacks and not firsts: Corgi (Transworld) in the 1960s and Panther in 1979. Heinemann Educational issued a school edition in 1964.
Read the full guide to Hamish Hamilton first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
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The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1956, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 22 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →