# Is "The Bone Clocks" by David Mitchell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell (Sceptre, 2014) is identified by: UK trade first, Sceptre, London, 2014, 595 pages, ISBN 978-0-340-92160-9. UK Sceptre (2014) precedes the US Random House edition (2014).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK trade first, Sceptre, London, 2014, 595 pages, ISBN 978-0-340-92160-9
- Bound in black paper-covered boards with the spine lettered in white (not gilt), in dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a full number line with the numeral 1 present on the copyright page
- The unclipped jacket carries the printed original price on the flap
- Booker-longlisted
- Publisher imprint reads Sceptre
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mitchell |
| Publisher | Sceptre |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK trade first, Sceptre, London, 2014, 595 pages, ISBN 978-0-340-92160-9 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK trade first, Sceptre, London, 2014, 595 pages, ISBN 978-0-340-92160-9. Bound in black paper-covered boards with the spine lettered in white (not gilt), in dust jacket; the first printing is identified by a full number line with the numeral 1 present on the copyright page. The unclipped jacket carries the printed original price on the flap. Booker-longlisted.

## Is this the true first?
UK Sceptre (2014) precedes the US Random House edition (2014). A signed, numbered slipcased limited edition of 500 copies was issued by Sceptre alongside the trade first, bound in yellow boards with grey titles and an embossed clock motif, with sprayed edges, a ribbon marker and specially-illustrated endpapers, signed on the limitation page; separate signed and limited states also exist. These are distinct from the ordinary trade first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry an impression statement and the number line no longer ends in 1; the trade first shows the complete descending number line down to 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bone Clocks* by David Mitchell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bone-clocks
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.