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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dickens by Peter Ackroyd (Sinclair-Stevenson, 1990) is identified by: Large single-volume biography in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap. The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1990 is the true first, preceding the US HarperCollins edition of 1991.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Large single-volume biography in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap
- The first impression carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- A separate signed limited issue of 150 numbered copies in quarter cloth with marbled boards also exists
- Publisher imprint reads Sinclair-Stevenson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Ackroyd |
| Publisher | Sinclair-Stevenson |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Large single-volume biography in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Large single-volume biography in boards with gilt spine, in dust jacket with the price present on the flap. The first impression carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. A separate signed limited issue of 150 numbered copies in quarter cloth with marbled boards also exists.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1990 is the true first, preceding the US HarperCollins edition of 1991.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions break the number line; the signed limited issue is a distinct binding, not the trade first.

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