# Is "The Eye of the Needle" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett (Arbor House, 1978) is identified by: US Arbor House first US edition, 1978, titled 'Eye of the Needle,' with the 'First Edition' statement. The true first edition is the UK Macdonald & Jane's 'Storm Island' (1978), which preceded the US Arbor House 'Eye of the Needle' (1978).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Arbor House first US edition, 1978, titled 'Eye of the Needle,' with the 'First Edition' statement
- This is the edition under the awarded title; the novel won the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel
- The earlier UK Macdonald & Jane's edition, 1978, was published under the original title 'Storm Island.'
- Publisher imprint reads Arbor House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | Arbor House |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Arbor House first US edition, 1978, titled 'Eye of the Needle,' with the 'First Edition' statement |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Arbor House first US edition, 1978, titled 'Eye of the Needle,' with the 'First Edition' statement. This is the edition under the awarded title; the novel won the 1979 Edgar Award for Best Novel. The earlier UK Macdonald & Jane's edition, 1978, was published under the original title 'Storm Island.'

## Is this the true first?
The true first edition is the UK Macdonald & Jane's 'Storm Island' (1978), which preceded the US Arbor House 'Eye of the Needle' (1978). The US Arbor House is the first US edition and bears the title under which the book was awarded the Edgar.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions (Book-of-the-Month Club / Literary Guild) are smaller, lack the dust-jacket price, and may lack the number line. On the UK 'Storm Island' first issue, both priced and price-clipped/unpriced export dust jackets are accepted as first-state.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Eye of the Needle* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-eye-of-the-needle
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.