Graham Swift First Editions

• The Sweet Shop Owner — 1980 · Allen LaneSwift's debut novel, published London: Allen Lane, 1980. Brown publisher's boards lettered in gilt at the spine, 221 pages; the copyright page reads 'First published 1980'. Issued in a photo-illustrated pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap (unclipped). The jacket's spine panel is notoriously prone to fading, so a bright, unfaded example is the point most collectors…. The UK Allen Lane hardcover (1980) precedes the US editions (Poseidon and the Washington Square paperback of the mid-1980s); the Allen Lane hardcover is the true first. No book-club edition. The pictorial-jacket spine fades readily, so a clean, bright, unfaded jacket is the scarce state.
• Shuttlecock — 1981 · Allen LaneSwift's second novel, issued in cloth boards with gilt spine lettering; the copyright page reads 'First published 1981' by Allen Lane (ISBN 0 7139 1413 9). A first-state copy retains the original pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present and unclipped; jackets in fine condition are uncommon. UK Allen Lane (1981) precedes the US Washington Square Press edition; the Allen Lane hardcover is the true first. No book-club edition of note.
• Learning to Swim and Other Stories — 1982 · London Magazine EditionsSwift's first story collection, issued in a hardcover binding of apple-green cloth with gilt spine lettering, 146 pages; copyright page reads 'First published 1982'; original dust jacket. The print run was small (about 750 copies), which accounts for its scarcity. UK London Magazine Editions (1982) precedes the US Poseidon Press edition of 1985; the London Magazine Editions hardcover is the true first. No book-club edition; genuinely scarce, especially in jacket.
• Waterland — 1983 · William HeinemannTrue first is William Heinemann (London), 1983, stating 'First published 1983'; cloth boards in a pictorial dust jacket priced 7.the printed price (an unclipped, unfaded jacket is preferred). The UK Heinemann edition precedes the US Poseidon Press 1984 edition. Note a revised UK edition also exists; the 1983 Heinemann first impression is the true first. UK Heinemann 1983 is the true first; the US Poseidon Press 1984 edition is a first-thus. Booker-shortlisted; Swift's best-known novel. No major book-club edition of note. Confirm the Heinemann (London) 1983 first impression versus the later revised UK edition and the US Poseidon printing.
• Out of This World — 1988 · VikingFirst UK edition, Viking (London), 1988, in cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in a priced dust jacket. The printed jacket price should be present; later printings break the number line or state a later impression on the copyright page. UK Viking (March 1988) is the true first, preceding the US Poseidon Press edition (ISBN 0671658271, September 1988). The US issue is a distinct book, styled 'First American Edition' on its copyright page with the Poseidon imprint and an American jacket price; do not confuse it with the Viking first. Book-club issues lack the publisher's printed price and full number line; later impressions are stated on the copyright page.
• Ever After — 1992 · PicadorUK Picador (London) hardback, first published 7 February 1992: black cloth boards with gilt titling to the spine, decorated endpapers, and the number line running down to 1 on the copyright page. The dust jacket should retain its printed UK price. The concurrent US Alfred A. Knopf edition is a distinct binding, issued in quarter/half cloth rather than the full black cloth of the Picador first. UK Picador hardback (7 February 1992) precedes the US Knopf edition (published later in 1992), making the Picador the true first; the Knopf first American edition is recognizable by its half-cloth binding. Later impressions are indicated by a shortened number line on the copyright page; book-club copies differ from the trade hardback in binding and jacket, and lack the printed jacket price.
• Last Orders — 1996 · PicadorFirst UK edition, Picador (London) 1996. Copyright page reads 'First published 1996 by Picador' with the full staggered number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 (the presence of the 1 marks the first printing). Dust jacket priced 15.the printed price. The UK Picador hardcover (January 1996) precedes the US Knopf edition (April 1996). 1996 Booker Prize winner. UK Picador 1996 is the true first; the US Knopf edition is a later first-thus. No book-club edition of note. Confirm the Picador imprint and the number line 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 versus the US Knopf printing.
• Tomorrow — 2007 · PicadorUK first published by Picador (London) in 2007, ISBN 9780330450188. Issued in hardback in publisher's boards with gilt spine lettering, the copyright page carrying a full number line running down to 1. The dust jacket bears the printed UK price, which should be present on a first-issue jacket. The UK Picador edition (2007) is the true first and precedes the US Alfred A. Knopf edition, also dated 2007. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page and the number line is correspondingly reduced, no longer running to 1.
• Making an Elephant: Writing from Within — 2009 · PicadorEssays/memoir (Swift's first non-fiction). Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line; dust jacket with UK price. UK Picador (2009) is the first edition; US Knopf followed in 2009. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page.
• Wish You Were Here — 2011 · PicadorFirst edition, first impression in red cloth-covered boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in the original unclipped dust jacket carrying the printed UK price on the inner flap. Identified by a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Published by Picador, London, 2011. The UK Picador edition (2011) is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A. Knopf edition of 2012. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page and the number line is reduced accordingly; this title was issued as a trade hardback, not through a book club.
• England and Other Stories — 2014 · Simon & Schuster UKCollection of twenty-five stories, issued as ISBN 9781471137396. Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering; full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; first-issue dust jacket printing the UK price (the printed price should be present on an unclipped jacket). The UK Simon & Schuster edition (2014, ISBN 9781471137396) precedes the US Knopf edition (2015), whose copyright page states 'Originally published in Great Britain by Simon & Schuster, London, in 2014.'. Later impressions are stated on the copyright page and step the number line up from 1.
• Mothering Sunday: A Romance — 2016 · Scribner UKUK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK, London) hardcover of 2016, a novella issued in cloth/boards with gilt-lettered spine, ISBN 978-1-4711-5523-9; first impression identified by a number line running down to 1 on the copyright page, in a printed first-state dust jacket. The UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) hardcover of 2016 is the true first, preceding the US Knopf 2016 edition. Later impressions show a raised lowest number in the line (the first impression runs down to 1); the US Knopf 2016 edition and the later Vintage International paperback (ISBN 9781101971727) are separate subsequent issues.
• Here We Are — 2020 · Scribner UKUK hardcover in boards with gilt-lettered spine (London: Scribner / Simon & Schuster UK, 2020; ISBN 9781471188930); full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The first-state jacket carries the printed price as issued. The Scribner UK hardcover, published 27 February 2020, is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A. Knopf edition (ISBN 9780525658054), which followed on 22 September 2020. No book-club edition is a factor here; later UK impressions are told by the lowest number in the printer's key rising above 1.

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