# Is "Blake" by Peter Ackroyd a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blake by Peter Ackroyd (Sinclair-Stevenson, 1995) is identified by: Illustrated biography of 399 pages in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap. The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1995 is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Illustrated biography of 399 pages in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap
- First impression carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Sinclair-Stevenson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Ackroyd |
| Publisher | Sinclair-Stevenson |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Illustrated biography of 399 pages in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Illustrated biography of 399 pages in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap. First impression carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1995 is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A. Knopf edition published 26 March 1996.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions break the number line or state a higher impression.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blake* by Peter Ackroyd a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blake
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.