Is My Copy of Consider Phlebas a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First UK Macmillan hardcover, London, 1987: yellow cloth boards with the dust jacket carrying the net printed price on the front flap (the printed price should be present)
• First Culture novel and Banks's first SF under the 'M.' byline
• Uncorrected proofs exist and are not the trade first

How Macmillan, London marked a first edition

• US Macmillan, post-1979 (number-line era): after a gradual 1970s rollout, from 1979 onward apply the standard number-line test — the digit '1' MUST be present in the sequence (e.g., 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) for a first…
• UK Macmillan, mid-1920s onward: London Macmillan states 'First published (Year)' on the copyright/verso page of a first edition, with later printings adding 'Reprinted (Year)' lines beneath. A first shows the…

Full Macmillan, London first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The UK Macmillan hardcover (1987) is the true first, preceding the US St. Martin's Press edition (also 1987). Collect the Macmillan for priority; uncorrected proofs exist and are not the trade first.P-011607

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The US St. Martin's edition (1987) is a later, separate setting and is bound in dark blue paper-covered boards with gilt spine titling and states 'First American Edition' — do not confuse it with the UK first. Confirm the Macmillan imprint and the yellow cloth binding for the true first.P-011608

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Consider Phlebas a first edition?

A first edition of Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks (Macmillan, London) is identified by: First UK Macmillan hardcover, London, 1987: yellow cloth boards with the dust jacket carrying the net printed price on the front flap (the printed price should be present).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. The UK Macmillan hardcover (1987) is the true first, preceding the US St. Martin's Press edition (also 1987).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The US St. Martin's edition (1987) is a later, separate setting and is bound in dark blue paper-covered boards with gilt spine titling and states 'First American Edition' — do not confuse it with the UK first. Confirm the Macmillan imprint and the yellow cloth binding for the true first.

I have a first edition of Consider Phlebas — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.