# Is "The Black Tower" by P.D. James a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Black Tower by P.D. James (Faber and Faber, 1975) is identified by: Faber and Faber first, 1975; publisher's grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (unclipped). The UK Faber edition of 1975 is conventionally taken as the true first; the US Scribner edition also appeared in 1975.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber and Faber first, 1975; publisher's grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (unclipped)
- Copyright verso carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.D. James |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faber and Faber first, 1975; publisher's grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Faber and Faber first, 1975; publisher's grey cloth lettered in gilt on the spine; first-issue dust jacket with its printed price (unclipped). Copyright verso carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Faber edition of 1975 is conventionally taken as the true first; the US Scribner edition also appeared in 1975. Adam Dalgliesh novel; Silver Dagger winner.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add a printing statement to the verso. Price-clipped jackets lose the printed price point. The US Scribner is a separate first American edition of the same year.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Black Tower* by P.D. James a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-black-tower
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.