# Is "A Taste for Death" by P. D. James a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Taste for Death by P. D. James (Faber & Faber, 1986) is identified by: UK Faber & Faber first edition, 1986, ISBN 0-571-13799-7, in the first-issue priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap). UK Faber & Faber (1986) is the true first; the US Knopf edition, published 12 October 1986, follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Faber & Faber first edition, 1986, ISBN 0-571-13799-7, in the first-issue priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap)
- Bound in original black cloth boards with the spine lettered in silver
- A first impression has no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Seventh Adam Dalgliesh novel
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P. D. James |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Faber & Faber first edition, 1986, ISBN 0-571-13799-7, in the first-issue priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Faber & Faber first edition, 1986, ISBN 0-571-13799-7, in the first-issue priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap). Bound in original black cloth boards with the spine lettered in silver. A first impression has no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Seventh Adam Dalgliesh novel.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber & Faber (1986) is the true first; the US Knopf edition, published 12 October 1986, follows. Often cited as a high point of the Dalgliesh series.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies carry a blind-stamped impression mark on the rear board and lack a flap price; later Faber impressions state the impression number on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Taste for Death* by P. D. James a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-taste-for-death
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.