# Is "Bones and Silence" by Reginald Hill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bones and Silence by Reginald Hill (William Collins / Collins Crime Club, 1990) is identified by: UK Collins (Crime Club) first, 1990: 'First published 1990' with a number line ending in 1; bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket. UK Collins Crime Club 1990 is the true first; the US Delacorte edition is a first-thus / first American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Collins (Crime Club) first, 1990: 'First published 1990' with a number line ending in 1; bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket
- Eleventh Dalziel and Pascoe novel; it won the 1990 CWA Gold Dagger
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins / Collins Crime Club
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Reginald Hill |
| Publisher | William Collins / Collins Crime Club |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Collins (Crime Club) first, 1990: 'First published 1990' with a number line ending in 1; bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Collins (Crime Club) first, 1990: 'First published 1990' with a number line ending in 1; bound in blue cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial dust jacket. Eleventh Dalziel and Pascoe novel; it won the 1990 CWA Gold Dagger.

## Is this the true first?
UK Collins Crime Club 1990 is the true first; the US Delacorte edition is a first-thus / first American edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
BCA / book-club editions and later printings are not firsts; club editions lack the jacket price and may carry a board code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bones and Silence* by Reginald Hill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bones-and-silence
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.