# Is "The Clerkenwell Tales" by Peter Ackroyd a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Clerkenwell Tales by Peter Ackroyd (Chatto & Windus, 2003) is identified by: Chatto & Windus, London, 2003 first edition, first impression. The UK Chatto & Windus edition of 2003 is the true first and precedes the US edition (Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Chatto & Windus, London, 2003 first edition, first impression
- Hardcover in black paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price
- The first impression shows a complete descending number line ending in 1; later impressions drop the low digits (a second impression reads to 2, a third to a partial line such as 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3)
- Issued under ISBN 1-85619-706-9
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Ackroyd |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Chatto & Windus, London, 2003 first edition, first impression |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Chatto & Windus, London, 2003 first edition, first impression. Hardcover in black paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in a dust jacket that should retain its printed price. The first impression shows a complete descending number line ending in 1; later impressions drop the low digits (a second impression reads to 2, a third to a partial line such as 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3). Issued under ISBN 1-85619-706-9.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Chatto & Windus edition of 2003 is the true first and precedes the US edition (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday, 2004).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Chatto & Windus impressions are identified by a shortened number line that no longer ends in 1; they reprint the text but do not precede the 2003 first impression.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Clerkenwell Tales* by Peter Ackroyd a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-clerkenwell-tales
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.