# Is "The Bone People" by Keri Hulme a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bone People by Keri Hulme (Spiral / Hodder & Stoughton, 1984) is identified by: True first is the 1984 Spiral collective edition (New Zealand), a small-press printing of about 2,000 copies issued in soft covers, published February 1984 and sold out within weeks. True first is the 1984 New Zealand Spiral paperback; the 1985 UK Hodder & Stoughton (with Spiral) hardcover is a later issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the 1984 Spiral collective edition (New Zealand), a small-press printing of about 2,000 copies issued in soft covers, published February 1984 and sold out within weeks
- First impression has the author's name in a white band to the front wrap and no errata leaf to the verso of the contents
- The 1985 UK Hodder & Stoughton (with Spiral) hardcover follows
- Publisher imprint reads Spiral / Hodder & Stoughton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Keri Hulme |
| Publisher | Spiral / Hodder & Stoughton |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the 1984 Spiral collective edition (New Zealand), a small-press printing of about 2,000 copies issued in soft covers… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the 1984 Spiral collective edition (New Zealand), a small-press printing of about 2,000 copies issued in soft covers, published February 1984 and sold out within weeks. First impression has the author's name in a white band to the front wrap and no errata leaf to the verso of the contents. The 1985 UK Hodder & Stoughton (with Spiral) hardcover follows.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1984 New Zealand Spiral paperback; the 1985 UK Hodder & Stoughton (with Spiral) hardcover is a later issue. The first New Zealand novel and first debut to win the Booker Prize (1985). The small Spiral first is a major rarity, scarce in fine condition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The common UK Hodder hardcover is not the true first; the 1984 Spiral New Zealand paperback is. Verify the Spiral imprint, the 1984 date, the white band carrying the author's name on the front wrap, and absence of an errata leaf.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bone People* by Keri Hulme a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bone-people
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.