# Is "Slade House" by David Mitchell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Slade House by David Mitchell (Sceptre, 2015) is identified by: Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2015. The UK Sceptre and US Random House hardcovers were both published on 27 October 2015, so UK precedence over the US edition is not reliably established; treat them as effectively simultaneous and identify each by its own publisher imprint and number line rather than by precedence.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2015
- Hardback bound in full red cloth boards with a gilt-titled spine and a red-dyed (stained) top edge / text block; first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1
- The distinctive first-issue dust jacket is die-cut with holes to the front panel that reveal the metallic red of the front board beneath, and it retains the publisher's printed price (which should be present and unclipped)
- ISBN 9781473616684; roughly 233 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Sceptre
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mitchell |
| Publisher | Sceptre |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2015 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2015. Hardback bound in full red cloth boards with a gilt-titled spine and a red-dyed (stained) top edge / text block; first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1. The distinctive first-issue dust jacket is die-cut with holes to the front panel that reveal the metallic red of the front board beneath, and it retains the publisher's printed price (which should be present and unclipped). ISBN 9781473616684; roughly 233 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Sceptre and US Random House hardcovers were both published on 27 October 2015, so UK precedence over the US edition is not reliably established; treat them as effectively simultaneous and identify each by its own publisher imprint and number line rather than by precedence. A signed US issue also exists.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry an impression statement and the number line no longer ends in 1; a signed and a numbered limited issue also exist and are distinguished by their signature or limitation leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Slade House* by David Mitchell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/slade-house
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.