# Is "The Life of Thomas More" by Peter Ackroyd a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Life of Thomas More by Peter Ackroyd (Chatto & Windus, 1998) is identified by: Biography issued in hardcover boards with gilt spine lettering, in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing Hans Holbein's portrait of More, with the printed price present to the front flap. The UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1998 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Biography issued in hardcover boards with gilt spine lettering, in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing Hans Holbein's portrait of More, with the printed price present to the front flap
- UK first under ISBN 1856197115
- Collates roughly ix and 434 pages with eight plate leaves of illustrations, some in colour, bound in
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Ackroyd |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Biography issued in hardcover boards with gilt spine lettering, in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing Hans Holbein's portrait of More… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Biography issued in hardcover boards with gilt spine lettering, in a pictorial dust jacket reproducing Hans Holbein's portrait of More, with the printed price present to the front flap. UK first under ISBN 1856197115 (9781856197113). Collates roughly ix and 434 pages with eight plate leaves of illustrations, some in colour, bound in.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Chatto & Windus edition of 1998 is the true first. The US edition (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday) also appeared in 1998 and carries a 'First published in the United Kingdom by Chatto & Windus' statement, confirming UK precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are reprints and do not precede the Chatto & Windus first. Confirm the Chatto & Windus imprint and the Holbein-portrait jacket with its printed price intact.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Life of Thomas More* by Peter Ackroyd a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-life-of-thomas-more
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.