# Is "Lie Down with Lions" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lie Down with Lions by Ken Follett (William Morrow, 1986) is identified by: New York: William Morrow and Company, 1986. The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 1985, with a dust jacket designed by Len Thurston, which precedes the US William Morrow edition of 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- New York: William Morrow and Company, 1986
- The first American printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page and carries a full number line beginning with 1
- Bound in quarter red cloth over white paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine, collating [8], 9-333, [3] pp
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that must retain the printed price to the front flap, uncorrected and unclipped, for a true first-issue jacket
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | New York: William Morrow and Company, 1986 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
New York: William Morrow and Company, 1986. The first American printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page and carries a full number line beginning with 1. Bound in quarter red cloth over white paper boards with gilt lettering to the spine, collating [8], 9-333, [3] pp. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that must retain the printed price to the front flap, uncorrected and unclipped, for a true first-issue jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 1985, with a dust jacket designed by Len Thurston, which precedes the US William Morrow edition of 1986. The Morrow issue is the first American edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies bear a blind stamp (small blindstamped dot or square) to the rear board, are printed on thinner bulk with a smaller trim, lack any printed jacket price, and omit both the 'First Edition' statement and the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lie Down with Lions* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lie-down-with-lions
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.