# Is "The Phantom of Manhattan" by Frederick Forsyth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Phantom of Manhattan by Frederick Forsyth (Bantam Press, 1999) is identified by: The UK Bantam Press hardcover (London) is the true first, in a priced pictorial dust jacket. The UK Bantam Press edition is the true first; the US issue was St.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The UK Bantam Press hardcover (London) is the true first, in a priced pictorial dust jacket
- The US edition was published separately by St
- Martin's Press (New York) in 1999
- The novel is a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Forsyth |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The UK Bantam Press hardcover (London) is the true first, in a priced pictorial dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The UK Bantam Press hardcover (London) is the true first, in a priced pictorial dust jacket. The US edition was published separately by St. Martin's Press (New York) in 1999. The novel is a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Bantam Press edition is the true first; the US issue was St. Martin's Press, not a Bantam imprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Reprints and later issues lack first-printing markers; confirm the Bantam Press imprint and a jacket bearing the printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Phantom of Manhattan* by Frederick Forsyth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-phantom-of-manhattan
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.