# Is "The English Patient" by Michael Ondaatje a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje (McClelland & Stewart, 1992) is identified by: Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1992, in green boards, 307 pages (ISBN 0771068867 / 9780771068867). True first is the Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition; Ondaatje is Canadian and M&S preceded the UK Bloomsbury and US Knopf editions, both also 1992.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1992, in green boards, 307 pages (ISBN 0771068867 / 9780771068867)
- Copyright page indicates the first printing with no later-printing notice
- First-state dust jacket is unclipped with the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads McClelland & Stewart
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Ondaatje |
| Publisher | McClelland & Stewart |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | Canadian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1992, in green boards, 307 pages (ISBN 0771068867 / 9780771068867) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Canadian McClelland & Stewart first printing, 1992, in green boards, 307 pages (ISBN 0771068867 / 9780771068867). Copyright page indicates the first printing with no later-printing notice. First-state dust jacket is unclipped with the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition; Ondaatje is Canadian and M&S preceded the UK Bloomsbury and US Knopf editions, both also 1992. Co-winner of the 1992 Booker Prize and the first novel by a Canadian to win it. The Knopf and Bloomsbury printings are separate firsts-thus, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of consequence; the distinction collectors watch is national precedence, so a Knopf or Bloomsbury copy is not the true first. Movie-tie-in paperbacks (1996) have no collecting significance.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The English Patient* by Michael Ondaatje a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-english-patient
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.