# Is "Petals of Blood" by Ngugi wa Thiong'o a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Petals of Blood by Ngugi wa Thiong'o (Heinemann, 1977) is identified by: First edition, Heinemann, London, 1977, bylined 'Ngugi wa Thiong'o' (after the author adopted the Gikuyu form of his name). Heinemann London 1977 is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Heinemann, London, 1977, bylined 'Ngugi wa Thiong'o' (after the author adopted the Gikuyu form of his name)
- Issued in cloth with dust jacket and also in the African Writers Series
- This was the last of Ngugi's novels written originally in English; he turned to writing in Gikuyu thereafter
- The London edition precedes the US issue
- Publisher imprint reads Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ngugi wa Thiong'o |
| Publisher | Heinemann |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Heinemann, London, 1977, bylined 'Ngugi wa Thiong'o' (after the author adopted the Gikuyu form of his name) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, Heinemann, London, 1977, bylined 'Ngugi wa Thiong'o' (after the author adopted the Gikuyu form of his name). Issued in cloth with dust jacket and also in the African Writers Series. This was the last of Ngugi's novels written originally in English; he turned to writing in Gikuyu thereafter. The London edition precedes the US issue.

## Is this the true first?
Heinemann London 1977 is the true first edition. The US edition (E. P. Dutton, 1978) follows. The byline correctly reads 'Ngugi wa Thiong'o'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Dutton US edition of 1978, the African Writers Series paperback, and all later printings are reprints relative to the 1977 London first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Petals of Blood* by Ngugi wa Thiong'o a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/petals-of-blood
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.