# Is "Knots and Crosses" by Ian Rankin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin (The Bodley Head, 1987) is identified by: First printing: London, The Bodley Head, published 19 March 1987, with 'First Published 1987' on the copyright page and no later-printing notice (ISBN 0-370-31057-8). London: The Bodley Head, 19 March 1987 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing: London, The Bodley Head, published 19 March 1987, with 'First Published 1987' on the copyright page and no later-printing notice (ISBN 0-370-31057-8)
- Red cloth binding, octavo, [6],169 pp., in the first-issue unclipped jacket with the publisher's printed price at the front flap; the jacket art shows a noughts-and-crosses game played with knotted twine and matchstick crosses
- The print run was small and most copies went to institutional libraries, so unrestored non-library copies are the exception; signed copies often carry Rankin's characteristic noughts-and-crosses doodle beside the signature
- Publisher imprint reads The Bodley Head
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Rankin |
| Publisher | The Bodley Head |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing: London, The Bodley Head, published 19 March 1987, with 'First Published 1987' on the copyright page and no later-printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing: London, The Bodley Head, published 19 March 1987, with 'First Published 1987' on the copyright page and no later-printing notice (ISBN 0-370-31057-8). Red cloth binding, octavo, [6],169 pp., in the first-issue unclipped jacket with the publisher's printed price at the front flap; the jacket art shows a noughts-and-crosses game played with knotted twine and matchstick crosses. The print run was small and most copies went to institutional libraries, so unrestored non-library copies are the exception; signed copies often carry Rankin's characteristic noughts-and-crosses doodle beside the signature.

## Is this the true first?
London: The Bodley Head, 19 March 1987 is the true first edition. The first American edition (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1987, published August 1987) followed and is collected separately as the first US printing of the first Inspector Rebus novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is documented. The dominant later-issue hazard is ex-library stock: inspect for cancelled library stamps, rebinding, and jacket cropping, all frequently seen on surviving first printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Knots and Crosses* by Ian Rankin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/knots-and-crosses
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.