# Is "G." by John Berger a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of G. by John Berger (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1972) is identified by: First UK edition, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1972, is the true first and precedes the American edition. UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1972 is the true first; the US Viking Press 1972 is the first-thus (not Pantheon).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1972, is the true first and precedes the American edition
- Bound in patterned paper-covered boards (described as green marble-patterned, or tan), the spine lettered in red and black; this is NOT cloth
- The red dust jacket is notoriously prone to spine fading, with the spine panel commonly fading toward white, a well-documented point
- The UK jacket is with its printed price sterling, though the exact figure was not independently confirmed
- The copyright-page wording First published 1972 is plausible per house practice but was not verbatim-confirmed, so verify on the copy in hand
- The US first is Viking Press, New York, 1972 (not Pantheon)
- Publisher imprint reads Weidenfeld & Nicolson

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berger |
| Publisher | Weidenfeld & Nicolson |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1972, is the true first and precedes the American edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, 1972, is the true first and precedes the American edition. Bound in patterned paper-covered boards (described as green marble-patterned, or tan), the spine lettered in red and black; this is NOT cloth. The red dust jacket is notoriously prone to spine fading, with the spine panel commonly fading toward white, a well-documented point. The UK jacket is with its printed price sterling, though the exact figure was not independently confirmed. The copyright-page wording First published 1972 is plausible per house practice but was not verbatim-confirmed, so verify on the copy in hand. The US first is Viking Press, New York, 1972 (not Pantheon).

## Is this the true first?
UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1972 is the true first; the US Viking Press 1972 is the first-thus (not Pantheon). 1972 Booker Prize winner, famous for Berger donating half the prize to the Black Panthers.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major club edition. Confirm the UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson 1972 imprint versus the US Viking Press printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *G.* by John Berger a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/g
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.