# Is "The Devil's Alternative" by Frederick Forsyth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsyth (Hutchinson, 1979) is identified by: UK Hutchinson first, 1979, bound in blue cloth with an embossed red star to the front board, titles stamped in silver to the spine, and red endpapers, in the original pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the flap. The UK Hutchinson 1979 edition is the true first and precedes the US Viking 1980 edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Hutchinson first, 1979, bound in blue cloth with an embossed red star to the front board, titles stamped in silver to the spine, and red endpapers, in the original pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the flap
- The US Viking edition followed in 1980
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Forsyth |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Hutchinson first, 1979, bound in blue cloth with an embossed red star to the front… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Hutchinson first, 1979, bound in blue cloth with an embossed red star to the front board, titles stamped in silver to the spine, and red endpapers, in the original pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present on the flap. The US Viking edition followed in 1980.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Hutchinson 1979 edition is the true first and precedes the US Viking 1980 edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club printings carry a board blindstamp and lack the first-printing markers, and their jackets omit the printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Devil's Alternative* by Frederick Forsyth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-devils-alternative
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.