# Is "Birthday Letters" by Ted Hughes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes (Faber and Faber, 1998) is identified by: Faber and Faber first edition, London 1998, an octavo in publisher's blue quarter cloth over blue paper boards, the spine lettered in gilt on a black ground, issued in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing a painting by the poet's daughter Frieda Hughes. Faber UK (1998) is the true first trade edition; the Farrar, Straus and Giroux US edition (1998) is the first American.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber and Faber first edition, London 1998, an octavo in publisher's blue quarter cloth over blue paper boards, the spine lettered in gilt on a black ground, issued in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing a painting by the poet's daughter Frieda Hughes
- First printing is identified by the copyright-page 'first published in 1998' statement together with Faber's descending number line ending in '1'
- The jacket should retain its printed price
- A separate signed limited edition was also issued in the same year
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ted Hughes |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Poetry |
| Key point | Faber and Faber first edition, London 1998, an octavo in publisher's blue quarter cloth over blue paper boards, the spine lettered in gilt… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Faber and Faber first edition, London 1998, an octavo in publisher's blue quarter cloth over blue paper boards, the spine lettered in gilt on a black ground, issued in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing a painting by the poet's daughter Frieda Hughes. First printing is identified by the copyright-page 'first published in 1998' statement together with Faber's descending number line ending in '1'. The jacket should retain its printed price. A separate signed limited edition was also issued in the same year.

## Is this the true first?
Faber UK (1998) is the true first trade edition; the Farrar, Straus and Giroux US edition (1998) is the first American. A signed limited edition preceded the trade issue and is the premium state. The collection of eighty-eight poems, addressed almost entirely to Sylvia Plath, appeared months before Hughes's death in 1998, making inscribed copies uncommon.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not a book-club title. Confirm the Faber copyright-page statement and descending number line ending in '1' for the UK first, and distinguish it from the FSG US first by imprint; the FSG jacket and copyright page differ.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Birthday Letters* by Ted Hughes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/birthday-letters
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.