# Is "A Song of Stone" by Iain Banks a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Song of Stone by Iain Banks (Abacus/Little, Brown, 1997) is identified by: Abacus UK hardcover (Abacus is a Little, Brown imprint). UK Abacus hardcover (1997) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Abacus UK hardcover (Abacus is a Little, Brown imprint)
- Copyright page states First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Abacus, with no statement of a later printing
- Priced dust jacket
- ISBN 0316640166
- Publisher imprint reads Abacus/Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iain Banks |
| Publisher | Abacus/Little, Brown |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Abacus UK hardcover (Abacus is a Little, Brown imprint) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Abacus UK hardcover (Abacus is a Little, Brown imprint). Copyright page states First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Abacus, with no statement of a later printing. Priced dust jacket. ISBN 0316640166.

## Is this the true first?
UK Abacus hardcover (1997) is the true first. Unusually for Banks, this title appeared under the Abacus imprint rather than Little, Brown proper, so the Abacus imprint on the title page is correct for the first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Song of Stone* by Iain Banks a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-song-of-stone
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.