# Is "The End of the World News" by Anthony Burgess a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The End of the World News by Anthony Burgess (Hutchinson, 1982) is identified by: First edition, Hutchinson, London, 1982, subtitled An Entertainment (ISBN 0-09-150540-2), paginated x + 388 pages. UK Hutchinson 1982 is the true first; the US McGraw-Hill edition followed in 1983.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Hutchinson, London, 1982, subtitled An Entertainment (ISBN 0-09-150540-2), paginated x + 388 pages
- Bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and issued in the dust jacket, which carries the printed price on the front flap and should be present (unclipped) on a first-state copy
- The UK Hutchinson edition precedes the US McGraw-Hill edition of 1983
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Hutchinson, London, 1982, subtitled An Entertainment (ISBN 0-09-150540-2), paginated x + 388 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, Hutchinson, London, 1982, subtitled An Entertainment (ISBN 0-09-150540-2), paginated x + 388 pages. Bound in publisher's blue cloth with gilt lettering to the spine and issued in the dust jacket, which carries the printed price on the front flap and should be present (unclipped) on a first-state copy. The UK Hutchinson edition precedes the US McGraw-Hill edition of 1983.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hutchinson 1982 is the true first; the US McGraw-Hill edition followed in 1983.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The End of the World News* by Anthony Burgess a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-end-of-the-world-news
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.