# Is "Amongst Women" by John McGahern a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Amongst Women by John McGahern (Faber & Faber, London, 1990) is identified by: True first: Faber and Faber, London, 1990, 184 pp, octavo, in orange boards lettered in black on the spine, in an unclipped pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap). UK Faber (London) 1990 is the true first and precedes the US first American edition, Viking, New York, 1990 (quarter green cloth over paper-covered boards, gilt spine).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first: Faber and Faber, London, 1990, 184 pp, octavo, in orange boards lettered in black on the spine, in an unclipped pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap)
- Because Faber also ran a SECOND impression in 1990, the decisive point is the impression statement: the first impression's copyright leaf reads 'First published in 1990' with no added subsequent-impression line
- Identify by that first-impression statement together with orange boards and an unclipped jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber, London
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John McGahern |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber, London |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first: Faber and Faber, London, 1990, 184 pp, octavo, in orange boards lettered in black on the spine, in an unclipped pictorial dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first: Faber and Faber, London, 1990, 184 pp, octavo, in orange boards lettered in black on the spine, in an unclipped pictorial dust jacket (price present at the flap). Because Faber also ran a SECOND impression in 1990, the decisive point is the impression statement: the first impression's copyright leaf reads 'First published in 1990' with no added subsequent-impression line. Identify by that first-impression statement together with orange boards and an unclipped jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber (London) 1990 is the true first and precedes the US first American edition, Viking, New York, 1990 (quarter green cloth over paper-covered boards, gilt spine). Both are dated 1990 but the Faber issue is the primary first; written in English, so no translation precedence. Booker Prize shortlist 1990. Census claim confirmed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Faber second impression (also 1990) exists and is distinguished only by its added impression statement — a common later-issue trap. No book-club edition of the first is documented.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Amongst Women* by John McGahern a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/amongst-women
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.