Is My The Day of the Jackal a First Edition?

The points of issue

• UK Hutchinson first, 1971 (June)
• Publisher's red boards with gilt lettering to the spine and grey endpapers
• The first-issue dust jacket bears the notation 'Reprinted before publication' on the flap, reflecting the immediate pre-publication demand, and retains its printed price
• Copyright page dated 1971 with no later-impression statement
• Forsyth's debut novel

How Hutchinson marked a first edition

• Late 1880s to about 1920: many firsts of this era carry no printing statement at all, so dating relies on the title-page date and on dated rear advertisement catalogs; later printings note reprints. Number lines do not a…
• About 1920 to about 1960: 'First published (year)' or 'First published in Great Britain (year)' on the copyright page; a first impression lists no reprints, while later printings add dated 'Reprinted' or 'New impression'…

Full Hutchinson first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Hutchinson 1971 is the true first, preceding the US Viking 1971 (which appeared roughly two months later with a Paul Bacon jacket). The UK first in red boards with grey endpapers is the collected copy; signed copies are scarce.P-009436

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

US Viking is the American first; Book Club Associates (BCA) UK editions exist, identified by the BCA imprint and a jacket lacking the printed price. Confirm the true first by the Hutchinson imprint, red boards, grey endpapers, and the 'Reprinted before publication' jacket note.P-009437

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Day of the Jackal a first edition?

A first edition of The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth (Hutchinson) is identified by: UK Hutchinson first, 1971 (June).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. UK Hutchinson 1971 is the true first, preceding the US Viking 1971 (which appeared roughly two months later with a Paul Bacon jacket).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

US Viking is the American first; Book Club Associates (BCA) UK editions exist, identified by the BCA imprint and a jacket lacking the printed price. Confirm the true first by the Hutchinson imprint, red boards, grey endpapers, and the 'Reprinted before publication' jacket note.

I have a first edition of The Day of the Jackal — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.