# Is "A Perfect Spy" by John le Carré a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Perfect Spy by John le Carré (Hodder & Stoughton, 1986) is identified by: The copyright page of the first impression reads "First printed 1986". The census claim holds.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page of the first impression reads "First printed 1986"
- Hodder used impression wording rather than a number line at this date, so later states self-declare: copies adding "Second impression", "Third impression", "Fourth impression" and so on are not firsts, and are routinely offered as "first edition, later impression" — read the copyright page rather than trusting the 1986 date alone
- Octavo, 463 pages, bound in blue cloth over boards lettered in gilt on the spine, with red endpapers
- The dust jacket is typographic and is credited to Howard J. Shaw; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped first
- Trap: Hodder issued its own later hardback reprints (a 2001 Hodder hardback circulates and is often offered signed) — a first impression of a later edition is not the true first
- Publisher imprint reads Hodder & Stoughton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John le Carré |
| Publisher | Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page of the first impression reads "First printed 1986" |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page of the first impression reads "First printed 1986". Hodder used impression wording rather than a number line at this date, so later states self-declare: copies adding "Second impression", "Third impression", "Fourth impression" and so on are not firsts, and are routinely offered as "first edition, later impression" — read the copyright page rather than trusting the 1986 date alone. Octavo, 463 pages, bound in blue cloth over boards lettered in gilt on the spine, with red endpapers. The dust jacket is typographic and is credited to Howard J. Shaw; a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped first. Trap: Hodder issued its own later hardback reprints (a 2001 Hodder hardback circulates and is often offered signed) — a first impression of a later edition is not the true first.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim holds. The Hodder & Stoughton (London) 1986 edition is the true first and precedes the Alfred A. Knopf (New York) 1986 American edition. Both editions are collected: the Hodder as the true first, the Knopf as the American first. The Knopf is separately identifiable because Knopf has consistently stated "First Edition" on the copyright page since the mid-1930s. Hodder additionally issued a signed limited edition of 250 numbered copies in 1986, bound in cloth and issued without a dust jacket — a distinct issue collected alongside the trade first rather than a substitute for it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
UK book club copies (Book Club Associates and similar) and US Book-of-the-Month Club copies circulate. Standard tells apply: a blind stamp (small impressed dot, circle, or square) on the rear board, absence of a price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, thinner bulk and cheaper paper stock, and no Hodder impression line matching the trade issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Perfect Spy* by John le Carré a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-perfect-spy
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.