# Is "Letters from London" by Julian Barnes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Letters from London by Julian Barnes (Picador, 1995) is identified by: Collected New Yorker journalism, full title Letters from London 1990-1995. UK Picador trade paperback (1995) is the first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Picador
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Julian Barnes |
| Publisher | Picador |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Collected New Yorker journalism, full title Letters from London 1990-1995 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Letters from London* by Julian Barnes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/letters-from-london
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.