# Is "The Buddha of Suburbia" by Hanif Kureishi a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi (Faber and Faber, 1990) is identified by: Faber & Faber, London, 1990 — Kureishi's first novel (won the Whitbread Best First Novel award) [CONFIRMED]. Faber London 1990 is the true first; Viking New York 1990 is the first US.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber & Faber, London, 1990 — Kureishi's first novel (won the Whitbread Best First Novel award) [CONFIRMED]. Bound in publisher's ORIGINAL BLACK CLOTH with white lettering to the spine — NOT plain "publisher's boards." Multiple independent dealers consistently describe the Faber first as black cloth; "publisher's boards" is misleading and should be corrected to "publisher's black cloth." Dust jacket with its printed price on the front flap; a priced/unclipped jacket is the desirable first-issue point (clipped copies also exist) [CONFIRMED]. The first-printing number line ending in "1" is PLAUSIBLE for Faber of this era but was NOT confirmed by any source consulted for the UK Faber first — treat as unverified; do not assert it as a definitive point of issue
- (It is the Viking US edition that sources tie to a "complete number line.") True-first note is ACCURATE: Faber London 1990 is the true first
- Viking New York 1990 is the first US edition
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hanif Kureishi |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faber & Faber, London, 1990 — Kureishi's first novel (won the Whitbread Best First Novel award) [CONFIRMED]. Bound in publisher's ORIGINAL… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Faber & Faber, London, 1990 — Kureishi's first novel (won the Whitbread Best First Novel award) [CONFIRMED]. Bound in publisher's ORIGINAL BLACK CLOTH with white lettering to the spine — NOT plain "publisher's boards." Multiple independent dealers consistently describe the Faber first as black cloth; "publisher's boards" is misleading and should be corrected to "publisher's black cloth." Dust jacket with its printed price on the front flap; a priced/unclipped jacket is the desirable first-issue point (clipped copies also exist) [CONFIRMED]. The first-printing number line ending in "1" is PLAUSIBLE for Faber of this era but was NOT confirmed by any source consulted for the UK Faber first — treat as unverified; do not assert it as a definitive point of issue. (It is the Viking US edition that sources tie to a "complete number line.") True-first note is ACCURATE: Faber London 1990 is the true first; Viking New York 1990 is the first US edition.

## Is this the true first?
Faber London 1990 is the true first; Viking New York 1990 is the first US.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions shown by number line; US edition distinguished by imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Buddha of Suburbia* by Hanif Kureishi a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-buddha-of-suburbia
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.