# Is "Birchwood" by John Banville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Birchwood by John Banville (Secker & Warburg, 1973) is identified by: UK first edition published by Secker & Warburg in 1973, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1973 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket. Both the UK Secker & Warburg and the US W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition published by Secker & Warburg in 1973, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1973 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket
- Banville's first novel (following his 1970 story collection)
- Scarce in jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Banville |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition published by Secker & Warburg in 1973, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1973 date on the copyright page; priced dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first edition published by Secker & Warburg in 1973, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1973 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket. Banville's first novel (following his 1970 story collection). Scarce in jacket.

## Is this the true first?
Both the UK Secker & Warburg and the US W. W. Norton editions are dated 1973. The UK edition is the conventionally accepted first; the Norton first American edition shows the figure 1 in its number line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Birchwood* by John Banville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/birchwood
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.