Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 Nov 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 true first appeared under another title: The Transformation of Philip Jettan, published by Mills & Boon, London, in 1923, under Heyer's pen name Stella Martin and subtitled A Comedy of Manners. The book was reissued by William Heinemann in 1930 as Powder and Patch, with the original final chapter (Chapter Twenty) cut. The Heinemann 1930 issue (one library record gives 233 pages) is therefore the first edition under this title but not the first edition of the work. Later Heinemann and paperback reissues carry the Powder and Patch title and are not firsts of either form.
For most of its life Mills & Boon has been a high-volume romance house, first in hardback for the lending libraries and later in paperback. Collector interest centres on the early general list and on 1920s and 1930s titles in their jackets.
Read the full guide to Mills & Boon 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.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
Mills & Boon, London, in 1923, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 3 November 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
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 →