# Is "The Pianoplayers" by Anthony Burgess a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Pianoplayers by Anthony Burgess (Hutchinson, 1986) is identified by: The UK Hutchinson 1986 edition is the accepted first edition; dealers describe it as first edition, first printing. UK Hutchinson 1986 is the accepted true first; US Arbor House also 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing
- The UK Hutchinson 1986 edition is the accepted first edition; dealers describe it as first edition, first printing
- A US Arbor House edition also appeared in 1986; the exact month-level order of the two 1986 issues is not firmly documented, so the Hutchinson UK printing is treated as the collector's first
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing. The UK Hutchinson 1986 edition is the accepted first edition; dealers describe it as first edition, first printing. A US Arbor House edition also appeared in 1986; the exact month-level order of the two 1986 issues is not firmly documented, so the Hutchinson UK printing is treated as the collector's first.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hutchinson 1986 is the accepted true first; US Arbor House also 1986. Both appeared the same year and a definitive month-by-month precedence is not established in the sources, but the UK Hutchinson is the conventional first for this British author.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Pianoplayers* by Anthony Burgess a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pianoplayers
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.