# Is "The Odessa File" by Frederick Forsyth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth (Hutchinson, 1972) is identified by: UK Hutchinson first edition, first impression, 1972, octavo, in publisher's cloth with first-issue dust jacket; collation is ix plus 309 pages. UK Hutchinson (1972) is the true first; the US Viking Press edition followed later in 1972.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Hutchinson first edition, first impression, 1972, octavo, in publisher's cloth with first-issue dust jacket; collation is ix plus 309 pages
- The copyright page of a first impression carries the first-published-1972 statement with no later-impression line
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Forsyth |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Hutchinson first edition, first impression, 1972, octavo, in publisher's cloth with first-issue dust jacket; collation is ix plus 309… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Hutchinson first edition, first impression, 1972, octavo, in publisher's cloth with first-issue dust jacket; collation is ix plus 309 pages. The copyright page of a first impression carries the first-published-1972 statement with no later-impression line.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hutchinson (1972) is the true first; the US Viking Press edition followed later in 1972. Forsyth's second novel, after The Day of the Jackal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions (UK Companion/Reprint Society; US Book-of-the-Month) bear club blind-stamps or a Book Club note on the jacket flap, omit a stated price, and are on bulkier reprint paper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Odessa File* by Frederick Forsyth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-odessa-file
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.