# Is "Kepler" by John Banville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Kepler by John Banville (Secker & Warburg, 1981) is identified by: UK first edition published by Martin Secker & Warburg in 1981, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1981 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket. UK Secker & Warburg (1981) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition published by Martin Secker & Warburg in 1981, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1981 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket
- Won the 1981 Guardian Fiction Prize
- Part of the science/'Revolutions' sequence
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Banville |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition published by Martin Secker & Warburg in 1981, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1981 date on the copyright page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first edition published by Martin Secker & Warburg in 1981, with the Secker & Warburg imprint and 1981 date on the copyright page; priced dust jacket. Won the 1981 Guardian Fiction Prize. Part of the science/'Revolutions' sequence.

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg (1981) is the true first. The US edition (Godine, Boston) followed in 1983, so the UK clearly precedes.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Kepler* by John Banville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/kepler
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.