# Is "Autumn" by Ali Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Autumn by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton, 2016) is identified by: Hardback in autumnal reddish-brown cloth boards with the title typography stamped directly onto the cloth, in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 2016 is the true first, preceding the US Pantheon edition of 2017.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hardback in autumnal reddish-brown cloth boards with the title typography stamped directly onto the cloth, in dust jacket
- The first-issue jacket wraps David Hockney's painting 'Early November Tunnel' around the lower portion of the boards, and the endpapers carry artwork by the 1960s British Pop artist Pauline Boty, a central figure in the novel
- The first impression is identified by a complete number line descending to 1
- on the copyright page
- First volume of the Seasonal Quartet; published in October 2016
- The first-issue jacket carries the printed price and should be present
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ali Smith |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hardback in autumnal reddish-brown cloth boards with the title typography stamped directly onto the cloth, in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Hardback in autumnal reddish-brown cloth boards with the title typography stamped directly onto the cloth, in dust jacket. The first-issue jacket wraps David Hockney's painting 'Early November Tunnel' around the lower portion of the boards, and the endpapers carry artwork by the 1960s British Pop artist Pauline Boty, a central figure in the novel. The first impression is identified by a complete number line descending to 1 (001) on the copyright page. First volume of the Seasonal Quartet; published in October 2016. The first-issue jacket carries the printed price and should be present.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 2016 is the true first, preceding the US Pantheon edition of 2017.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are indicated by a number line that no longer descends to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Autumn* by Ali Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/autumn
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.