# Is "The Golden Child" by Penelope Fitzgerald a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Golden Child by Penelope Fitzgerald (Gerald Duckworth & Co., 1977) is identified by: States 'First published 1977' by Gerald Duckworth & Co. The UK Duckworth edition (1977) is the true first; the US edition (Henry Holt/Houghton Mifflin) is far later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- States 'First published 1977' by Gerald Duckworth & Co
- Octavo, 159 pages, bound in midnight-blue cloth with gilt titling to the spine, and issued in a pictorial black-and-gold dust jacket
- Fitzgerald's first published work of fiction; scarce in the jacket, which should retain its printed price unclipped on an unrestored copy
- Publisher imprint reads Gerald Duckworth & Co.
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Penelope Fitzgerald |
| Publisher | Gerald Duckworth & Co. |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | States 'First published 1977' by Gerald Duckworth & Co |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
States 'First published 1977' by Gerald Duckworth & Co. Octavo, 159 pages, bound in midnight-blue cloth with gilt titling to the spine, and issued in a pictorial black-and-gold dust jacket. Fitzgerald's first published work of fiction; scarce in the jacket, which should retain its printed price unclipped on an unrestored copy.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Duckworth edition (1977) is the true first; the US edition (Henry Holt/Houghton Mifflin) is far later. The UK strongly precedes.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Golden Child* by Penelope Fitzgerald a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-golden-child
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.