# Is "The Blackwater Lightship" by Colm Tóibín a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Tóibín (Picador, 1999) is identified by: First UK Picador hardcover, 1999. The UK Picador 1999 hardcover is the true first; the US Scribner edition (2000) is a first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK Picador hardcover, 1999
- Copyright page carries the publisher's first-printing statement and a complete number line including 1; blue boards lettered in silver at the spine, dust jacket priced in sterling
- Published September 1999
- The UK Picador precedes the US Scribner edition of 2000
- Publisher imprint reads Picador
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Colm Tóibín |
| Publisher | Picador |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK Picador hardcover, 1999 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK Picador hardcover, 1999. Copyright page carries the publisher's first-printing statement and a complete number line including 1; blue boards lettered in silver at the spine, dust jacket priced in sterling. Published September 1999. The UK Picador precedes the US Scribner edition of 2000.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Picador 1999 hardcover is the true first; the US Scribner edition (2000) is a first-thus. Booker-shortlisted.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition traced. Confirm the UK Picador 1999 printing as against the later US Scribner.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Blackwater Lightship* by Colm Tóibín a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-blackwater-lightship
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.