# Is "Eight Months on Ghazzah Street" by Hilary Mantel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Eight Months on Ghazzah Street by Hilary Mantel (Viking, 1988) is identified by: First edition, first printing, published by Viking in 1988, with the copyright page stating 'First published 1988' and carrying no later-printing or reprint statement. UK Viking (1988) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, published by Viking in 1988, with the copyright page stating 'First published 1988' and carrying no later-printing or reprint statement
- Octavo, roughly 298 to 299 pages, bound in black faux-cloth boards with red lettering stamped to the spine, ISBN 0670821179, issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket
- The jacket should retain the printed cover price and is desirable unclipped
- Mantel's third novel, drawn from her years in Jeddah
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hilary Mantel |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, published by Viking in 1988, with the copyright page stating 'First published 1988' and carrying no… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, published by Viking in 1988, with the copyright page stating 'First published 1988' and carrying no later-printing or reprint statement. Octavo, roughly 298 to 299 pages, bound in black faux-cloth boards with red lettering stamped to the spine, ISBN 0670821179, issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket. The jacket should retain the printed cover price and is desirable unclipped. Mantel's third novel, drawn from her years in Jeddah.

## Is this the true first?
UK Viking (1988) is the true first. The US St. Martin's/Holt edition came later (1997), so the UK edition precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition. First-printing status rests on the 'First published 1988' statement with no added impression line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Eight Months on Ghazzah Street* by Hilary Mantel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/eight-months-on-ghazzah-street
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.