# Is "Milton in America" by Peter Ackroyd a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Milton in America by Peter Ackroyd (Sinclair-Stevenson, 1996) is identified by: Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket priced accordingly. The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1996 is the true first and precedes the US edition (Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket priced accordingly
- UK first issued under ISBN 1856196968
- Publisher imprint reads Sinclair-Stevenson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Ackroyd |
| Publisher | Sinclair-Stevenson |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket priced accordingly |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Hardcover in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket priced accordingly. UK first issued under ISBN 1856196968.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Sinclair-Stevenson edition of 1996 is the true first and precedes the US edition (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday, 1997).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions and the Vintage paperback are reprints and do not precede the Sinclair-Stevenson first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Milton in America* by Peter Ackroyd a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/milton-in-america
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.