# Is "Station Island" by Seamus Heaney a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Station Island by Seamus Heaney (Faber & Faber, 1984) is identified by: The true first is Faber & Faber (London), 1984, identified by the 'First published in 1984' statement on the copyright page; it was issued simultaneously in black cloth boards (the hardback issue, reported at about 3,000 copies) and in pictorial wrappers (the paperback issue, about 10,000 copies), the hardback carrying Faber's dust jacket. UK precedence: Faber & Faber (London) 1984 precedes the Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York) 1985 first American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is Faber & Faber (London), 1984, identified by the 'First published in 1984' statement on the copyright page; it was issued simultaneously in black cloth boards (the hardback issue, reported at about 3,000 copies) and in pictorial wrappers (the paperback issue, about 10,000 copies), the hardback carrying Faber's dust jacket
- The clothbound issue is the collected primary form
- First American edition: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York), 1985, in quarter cloth over paper boards with a priced dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Seamus Heaney |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is Faber & Faber (London), 1984, identified by the 'First published in 1984' statement on the copyright page; it was issued… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The true first is Faber & Faber (London), 1984, identified by the 'First published in 1984' statement on the copyright page; it was issued simultaneously in black cloth boards (the hardback issue, reported at about 3,000 copies) and in pictorial wrappers (the paperback issue, about 10,000 copies), the hardback carrying Faber's dust jacket. The clothbound issue is the collected primary form. First American edition: Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York), 1985, in quarter cloth over paper boards with a priced dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK precedence: Faber & Faber (London) 1984 precedes the Farrar, Straus & Giroux (New York) 1985 first American edition. Both London issues (cloth and wrappers) are first editions dated 1984; the black-cloth hardback is the collected point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition documented. The FSG New York 1985 is a distinct first American, not a reprint; later Faber paperback reprints are not the 1984 first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Station Island* by Seamus Heaney a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/station-island
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.