The points of issue
Collected New Yorker journalism, full title Letters from London 1990-1995. The UK first edition is a Picador trade paperback (B-format, roughly 19.7 by 12.8 cm) in printed card wrappers, not a cloth hardback. Look for First published 1995 by Picador on the copyright page; ISBN 0 330 34116 2.
Is this the true first?
UK Picador trade paperback (1995) is the first edition. US Vintage International (1995) and a Vintage Canada paperback (1995) followed. There was no separate Cape cloth hardback; Picador was Pan Macmillan's paperback imprint and originated this title in wrappers.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Picador printings (including a rejacketed edition) state a later impression or carry a changed jacket design; the wrappers and 1995 date distinguish the first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Letters from London a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Collected New Yorker journalism, full title Letters from London 1990-1995. The UK first edition is a Picador trade paperback (B-format, roughly 19.7 by 12.8 cm) in printed card wrappers, not a cloth hardback. Look for First published 1995 by Picador on the copyright page; ISBN 0 330 34116 2.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. UK Picador trade paperback (1995) is the first edition. US Vintage International (1995) and a Vintage Canada paperback (1995) followed. There was no separate Cape cloth hardback; Picador was Pan Macmillan's paperback imprint and originated this title in wrappers.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Picador printings (including a rejacketed edition) state a later impression or carry a changed jacket design; the wrappers and 1995 date distinguish the first.
I have a first edition of Letters from London — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.