# Is "The Fourth Protocol" by Frederick Forsyth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fourth Protocol by Frederick Forsyth (Hutchinson, 1984) is identified by: UK Hutchinson hardcover is the true first, published August 1984, in black cloth boards with a stamped red rosette to the lower front cover and silver spine titling, in a price-clipped-vulnerable priced dust jacket. The UK Hutchinson edition precedes the US Viking edition; collect the Hutchinson printing as the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Hutchinson hardcover is the true first, published August 1984, in black cloth boards with a stamped red rosette to the lower front cover and silver spine titling, in a price-clipped-vulnerable priced dust jacket
- The US Viking edition also appeared in 1984 but follows the UK
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Forsyth |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Hutchinson hardcover is the true first, published August 1984, in black cloth boards… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Hutchinson hardcover is the true first, published August 1984, in black cloth boards with a stamped red rosette to the lower front cover and silver spine titling, in a price-clipped-vulnerable priced dust jacket. The US Viking edition also appeared in 1984 but follows the UK.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Hutchinson edition precedes the US Viking edition; collect the Hutchinson printing as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions are later and are distinguished by cheaper bindings, thinner paper, and a dust jacket lacking the printed publisher price; confirm the priced jacket and Hutchinson imprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fourth Protocol* by Frederick Forsyth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fourth-protocol
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.