# Is "Still Life" by A.S. Byatt a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Still Life by A.S. Byatt (Chatto & Windus, 1985) is identified by: Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 is the true first, the second volume of the Frederica quartet after The Virgin in the Garden (1978). UK Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 precedes the US Charles Scribner's Sons (New York) 1985 edition, which is the first American edition; both are collected, the Chatto issue being the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 is the true first, the second volume of the Frederica quartet after The Virgin in the Garden
- The first printing states 'First published 1985' by Chatto & Windus on the verso with no later-impression line; it is bound in black boards with gilt spine lettering, collating 358pp, in the publisher's dust wrapper with the price present at the flap (marked UK-only)
- No number line is used
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | A.S. Byatt |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 is the true first, the second volume of the Frederica quartet after The Virgin in the Garden |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 is the true first, the second volume of the Frederica quartet after The Virgin in the Garden (1978). The first printing states 'First published 1985' by Chatto & Windus on the verso with no later-impression line; it is bound in black boards with gilt spine lettering, collating 358pp, in the publisher's dust wrapper with the price present at the flap (marked UK-only). No number line is used.

## Is this the true first?
UK Chatto & Windus (London) 1985 precedes the US Charles Scribner's Sons (New York) 1985 edition, which is the first American edition; both are collected, the Chatto issue being the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Scribner's 1985 is the American first; later printings add an impression statement or number line beneath the 'First published 1985' line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Still Life* by A.S. Byatt a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/still-life
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.