# Is "Mothering Sunday: A Romance" by Graham Swift a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mothering Sunday: A Romance by Graham Swift (Scribner UK, 2016) is identified by: UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK, London) hardcover of 2016, a novella issued in cloth/boards with gilt-lettered spine, ISBN 978-1-4711-5523-9; first impression identified by a number line running down to 1 on the copyright page, in a printed first-state dust jacket. The UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) hardcover of 2016 is the true first, preceding the US Knopf 2016 edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK, London) hardcover of 2016, a novella issued in cloth/boards with gilt-lettered spine, ISBN 978-1-4711-5523-9; first impression identified by a number line running down to 1 on the copyright page, in a printed first-state dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner UK
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Graham Swift |
| Publisher | Scribner UK |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK, London) hardcover of 2016, a novella issued in cloth/boards with gilt-lettered spine, ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK, London) hardcover of 2016, a novella issued in cloth/boards with gilt-lettered spine, ISBN 978-1-4711-5523-9; first impression identified by a number line running down to 1 on the copyright page, in a printed first-state dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Scribner (Simon & Schuster UK) hardcover of 2016 is the true first, preceding the US Knopf 2016 edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions show a raised lowest number in the line (the first impression runs down to 1); the US Knopf 2016 edition and the later Vintage International paperback (ISBN 9781101971727) are separate subsequent issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mothering Sunday: A Romance* by Graham Swift a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mothering-sunday-a-romance
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.