# Is "A Dark-Adapted Eye" by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Dark-Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) (Viking, 1986) is identified by: First edition, published by Viking in London in 1986, ISBN 0-670-80976-4 (9780670809769), 300 pages, under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. The UK Viking edition of 1986 is the true first; the US Viking/Bantam edition followed in 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, published by Viking in London in 1986, ISBN 0-670-80976-4
- , 300 pages, under the pseudonym Barbara Vine
- Bound in blue cloth boards with metallic red lettering to the spine
- The first-issue dust jacket shows a close-up of an eye with a gallows and rope noose reflected in the black pupil, and should retain the printed price on the front flap
- The copyright page carries a single first-published statement
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, published by Viking in London in 1986, ISBN 0-670-80976-4 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, published by Viking in London in 1986, ISBN 0-670-80976-4 (9780670809769), 300 pages, under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. Bound in blue cloth boards with metallic red lettering to the spine. The first-issue dust jacket shows a close-up of an eye with a gallows and rope noose reflected in the black pupil, and should retain the printed price on the front flap. The copyright page carries a single first-published statement.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Viking edition of 1986 is the true first; the US Viking/Bantam edition followed in 1986. This is the debut of the Barbara Vine identity and the novel won the MWA Edgar Award for Best Novel. Recognizing that Barbara Vine is Ruth Rendell is the key identification point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the flap price and are typically thinner-papered; later impressions add a printing statement to the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Dark-Adapted Eye* by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-dark-adapted-eye
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.