# Is "The Newton Letter" by John Banville a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Newton Letter by John Banville (Secker & Warburg, 1982) is identified by: UK first edition states 'First published in England 1982 by Martin Secker & Warburg Limited' on the copyright page. UK Secker & Warburg (1982) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK first edition states 'First published in England 1982 by Martin Secker & Warburg Limited' on the copyright page
- Black boards stamped in gilt on the spine; priced dust jacket; about 82 pages
- Third of Banville's science-themed sequence (after Doctor Copernicus and Kepler, followed by Mefisto)
- Publisher imprint reads Secker & Warburg
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Banville |
| Publisher | Secker & Warburg |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK first edition states 'First published in England 1982 by Martin Secker & Warburg Limited' on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK first edition states 'First published in England 1982 by Martin Secker & Warburg Limited' on the copyright page. Black boards stamped in gilt on the spine; priced dust jacket; about 82 pages. Third of Banville's science-themed sequence (after Doctor Copernicus and Kepler, followed by Mefisto).

## Is this the true first?
UK Secker & Warburg (1982) is the true first. The US edition (David R. Godine, Boston) did not appear until 1987, so the UK clearly precedes.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Newton Letter* by John Banville a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-newton-letter
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.