Is My Redwall a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First edition, first impression: London, Hutchinson, published 23 October 1986
• Illustrated by Gary Chalk (in-text designs and a map); jacket illustration by Pete Lyon
• Bound in blue cloth-grain paper-covered boards lettered in gilt to the spine — two independent ABAA/ILAB dealers agree on blue boards with gilt spine lettering
• Hutchinson firsts of this period state 'First published (Year)' or 'First published in Great Britain (Year)' on the copyright page; a numeral sequence is also recorded for Hutchinson, with 1 on first printings and 2 on seconds
• The jacket carries the net UK-only price at the front flap and should be unclipped with the price present
• Genuinely scarce in the first UK printing

How Hutchinson marked a first edition

• About 1975 onward (within the Hutchinson Group, later under Random House from 1985): a descending number line on the copyright page typically accompanies 'First published in Great Britain 19xx by Hutchinson'; the lowest…

Full Hutchinson first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Hutchinson (London), 23 October 1986 is the true first; an ABAA dealer states flatly that the British edition precedes all others. The first American edition is Philomel Books, New York, published August 1987, which states 'First impression' — publisher's red cloth-backed grey paper-covered boards titled in gilt, retaining Gary Chalk's illustrations but with new cover art by Troy Howell. Both are collected: the Hutchinson as the true first, the Philomel as the first American edition.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. The principal trap is dating: the Philomel first American edition carries a 1986 copyright and is therefore routinely catalogued and offered as a '1986 first edition' when it was in fact published in 1987 and is not the true first — verify by the 'First impression' statement and the Philomel imprint, never by the copyright year. Later Philomel printings are also widely listed as 'first edition, later printing' (second, thirteenth and beyond are recorded). The 1997 illustrated trade paperback and later collector's/anniversary editions are 'first thus' only. Note a source conflict on collation: two dealers give the Hutchinson at 351 pages while a reference source gives 311, so page count should not be used as a point.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Redwall a first edition?

A first edition of Redwall by Brian Jacques (Hutchinson) is identified by: First edition, first impression: London, Hutchinson, published 23 October 1986.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. UK Hutchinson (London), 23 October 1986 is the true first; an ABAA dealer states flatly that the British edition precedes all others.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is documented in the sources consulted. The principal trap is dating: the Philomel first American edition carries a 1986 copyright and is therefore routinely catalogued and offered as a '1986 first edition' when it was in fact published in 1987 and is not the true first — verify by the 'First impression' statement and the Philomel imprint, never by the copyright year. Later Philomel printings are also widely listed as 'first edition, later printing' (second, thirteenth and bey

I have a first edition of Redwall — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.