# Is "The Old Forest and Other Stories" by Peter Taylor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Old Forest and Other Stories by Peter Taylor (Dial Press / Doubleday, 1985) is identified by: The Dial Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1985. The US Dial Press/Doubleday edition of 1985 is the true first; it won the 1986 PEN/Faulkner Award.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Dial Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1985
- True first is bound in black cloth over white boards with silver spine lettering and a deckled fore-edge, states the first printing on the copyright page, and carries a dust jacket priced on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Dial Press / Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Taylor |
| Publisher | Dial Press / Doubleday |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Dial Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1985 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Dial Press/Doubleday, Garden City, NY, 1985. True first is bound in black cloth over white boards with silver spine lettering and a deckled fore-edge, states the first printing on the copyright page, and carries a dust jacket priced on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Dial Press/Doubleday edition of 1985 is the true first; it won the 1986 PEN/Faulkner Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Doubleday/BCE book-club printing exists; it is typically thinner, lacks the stated first-printing line, may show a blind-stamp to the rear board, and has an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Old Forest and Other Stories* by Peter Taylor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-old-forest-and-other-stories
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.