# Is "Offshore" by Penelope Fitzgerald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald (William Collins, 1979) is identified by: First UK edition, William Collins, London, 1979. The William Collins UK edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, William Collins, London, 1979. 'First published 1979' stated on the copyright page
- Original cloth in pictorial dust jacket; a genuinely slim novel, and firsts in fine jacketed state are scarce
- Winner of the 1979 Booker Prize
- Publisher imprint reads William Collins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Penelope Fitzgerald |
| Publisher | William Collins |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, William Collins, London, 1979. 'First published 1979' stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, William Collins, London, 1979. 'First published 1979' stated on the copyright page. Original cloth in pictorial dust jacket; a genuinely slim novel, and firsts in fine jacketed state are scarce. Winner of the 1979 Booker Prize.

## Is this the true first?
The William Collins UK edition is the true first. The first US edition (Henry Holt) did not appear until 1987, well after the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The much later US Henry Holt edition (1987) carries a US imprint. No prominent book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Offshore* by Penelope Fitzgerald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/offshore
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.