# Is "The Heather Blazing" by Colm Toibin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Heather Blazing by Colm Toibin (Picador, 1992) is identified by: First edition published by Picador, London, 1992, as a hardcover: octavo, [vi]+245pp, black cloth boards stamped in gilt, in the publisher's illustrated dust jacket (price 14.99 to the flap, author photo to the rear flap). UK Picador (1992) is the true first; the US Viking edition appeared the same year, so UK precedence rests on the standard UK-first assumption rather than a documented month-by-month lead.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition published by Picador, London, 1992, as a hardcover: octavo, [vi]+245pp, black cloth boards stamped in gilt, in the publisher's illustrated dust jacket (price 14.99 to the flap, author photo to the rear flap)
- Toibin's second novel; won the Encore Award
- Publisher imprint reads Picador
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Colm Toibin |
| Publisher | Picador |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition published by Picador, London, 1992, as a hardcover: octavo, [vi]+245pp, black cloth boards stamped in gilt, in the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition published by Picador, London, 1992, as a hardcover: octavo, [vi]+245pp, black cloth boards stamped in gilt, in the publisher's illustrated dust jacket (price 14.99 to the flap, author photo to the rear flap). Toibin's second novel; won the Encore Award.

## Is this the true first?
UK Picador (1992) is the true first; the US Viking edition appeared the same year, so UK precedence rests on the standard UK-first assumption rather than a documented month-by-month lead.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Penguin and Pan paperback issues and later reprints are not the first; the true first is the 1992 Picador hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Heather Blazing* by Colm Toibin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-heather-blazing
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.