# Is "Fludd" by Hilary Mantel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Fludd by Hilary Mantel (Viking, 1989) is identified by: States 'First published 1989' by Viking on the copyright page. UK Viking (1989) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- States 'First published 1989' by Viking on the copyright page
- Cloth boards in a priced dust jacket
- Won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and the Cheltenham Prize
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hilary Mantel |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | States 'First published 1989' by Viking on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
States 'First published 1989' by Viking on the copyright page. Cloth boards in a priced dust jacket. Won the Winifred Holtby Memorial Prize and the Cheltenham Prize.

## Is this the true first?
UK Viking (1989) is the true first. The US Holt edition came much later (2000). The UK strongly precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Fludd* by Hilary Mantel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/fludd
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.