# Is "A Dangerous Fortune" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Dangerous Fortune by Ken Follett (Delacorte Press, 1993) is identified by: US first: Delacorte Press, 1993, black boards with gilt spine lettering; first-printing statement/number line present per Delacorte practice; dust jacket present and price unclipped. Both a UK Macmillan and a US Delacorte edition appeared in 1993.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first: Delacorte Press, 1993, black boards with gilt spine lettering; first-printing statement/number line present per Delacorte practice; dust jacket present and price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US first: Delacorte Press, 1993, black boards with gilt spine lettering; first-printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US first: Delacorte Press, 1993, black boards with gilt spine lettering; first-printing statement/number line present per Delacorte practice; dust jacket present and price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
Both a UK Macmillan and a US Delacorte edition appeared in 1993. For a British author like Follett the UK Macmillan hardcover is the likely true first; precise precedence between the two is not firmly established, so the Delacorte record here identifies the US first only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions carry a blind-stamped dot to the rear board, lack the first-printing statement, and are typically smaller and cheaply bound.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Dangerous Fortune* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-dangerous-fortune
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.