# Is "Ice Station Zebra" by Alistair MacLean a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ice Station Zebra by Alistair MacLean (Collins, 1963) is identified by: Collins used no first-edition statement at this date — two independent publisher-identification guides (ILAB and Evening Land Books) agree that the Collins first impression is identified negatively: the correct year on the title page and the complete absence of any reprint or later-impression statement on the verso. UK precedes US and is the true first: Collins, London, 1963.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Collins used no first-edition statement at this date — two independent publisher-identification guides (ILAB and Evening Land Books) agree that the Collins first impression is identified negatively: the correct year on the title page and the complete absence of any reprint or later-impression statement on the verso
- Collins did note later impressions, so any "second impression" or reprint line rules the copy out; there is no number line to consult
- Do not be misled by dealer copy claiming a stated "first edition" on the copyright page — that describes the American issue, not the Collins
- The Collins first collates 255 + [1] pp. and is bound in dark green cloth blocked in gilt on the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket by John Heseltine; the jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the flap
- The Doubleday first printing is a distinct book and is identified positively: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page (Doubleday's documented convention, with no statement on later printings), 276 pp., blue cloth with the title stamped in silver on the spine, illustrated endpapers, priced jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Alistair MacLean |
| Publisher | Collins |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collins used no first-edition statement at this date — two independent publisher-identification guides (ILAB and Evening Land Books) agree… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Collins used no first-edition statement at this date — two independent publisher-identification guides (ILAB and Evening Land Books) agree that the Collins first impression is identified negatively: the correct year on the title page and the complete absence of any reprint or later-impression statement on the verso. Collins did note later impressions, so any "second impression" or reprint line rules the copy out; there is no number line to consult. Do not be misled by dealer copy claiming a stated "first edition" on the copyright page — that describes the American issue, not the Collins. The Collins first collates 255 + [1] pp. and is bound in dark green cloth blocked in gilt on the spine, in a pictorial dust jacket by John Heseltine; the jacket should be a priced jacket with the price present at the flap. The Doubleday first printing is a distinct book and is identified positively: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page (Doubleday's documented convention, with no statement on later printings), 276 pp., blue cloth with the title stamped in silver on the spine, illustrated endpapers, priced jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK precedes US and is the true first: Collins, London, 1963. The US first is Doubleday & Company, Garden City, NY, 1963, and is collected in its own right as the American first. MacLean was British and Collins was his home publisher throughout — the pattern is established from his debut, HMS Ulysses (Collins 1955, Doubleday 1956) — and the trade uniformly treats the Collins issue as the true first. "First thus" traps: the Fontana paperbacks (1964 onward) and the 1968 film tie-in issues are later and are not firsts of anything.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
UK book-club reprints of MacLean carry the club's imprint (Companion Book Club, The Reprint Society/World Books) in place of Collins on the spine, title page and jacket, and their jackets are unpriced — the substituted imprint is the reliable tell, not the binding. American Doubleday book-club printings lack the "First Edition" statement, carry a blind-stamped device (a small impressed square, circle or maple leaf) on the lower rear board, are bulked on lighter paper, and have unpriced jackets.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ice Station Zebra* by Alistair MacLean a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ice-station-zebra
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.