# Is "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (Macmillan, 1989) is identified by: The true first is the UK Macmillan edition (London, 1989), in black cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial jacket showing lightning striking a distant cathedral; it reads 'First published 1989' on the copyright page, per Macmillan's house style. Precedence is not genuinely debated: the UK Macmillan edition precedes and is the true first; the US Morrow edition is the first American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the UK Macmillan edition (London, 1989), in black cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial jacket showing lightning striking a distant cathedral; it reads 'First published 1989' on the copyright page, per Macmillan's house style
- The US William Morrow edition is the first American edition: stated 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1, in tan boards with a jacket featuring a gargoyle
- Publisher imprint reads Macmillan
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | Macmillan |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the UK Macmillan edition (London, 1989), in black cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial jacket showing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the UK Macmillan edition (London, 1989), in black cloth with gilt spine lettering and a pictorial jacket showing lightning striking a distant cathedral; it reads 'First published 1989' on the copyright page, per Macmillan's house style. The US William Morrow edition is the first American edition: stated 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1, in tan boards with a jacket featuring a gargoyle.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence is not genuinely debated: the UK Macmillan edition precedes and is the true first; the US Morrow edition is the first American edition. This is Follett's signature work, so condition and a genuine signature drive desirability.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions show a blind-stamp or gutter code, lack a printed jacket price, use lighter boards, and on the US side omit the full number line. For the US first, a stated First Edition with a complete number line to 1 and a first-state jacket separates it from club copies; for the true first, confirm the Macmillan imprint and 'First published 1989'.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Pillars of the Earth* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pillars-of-the-earth
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.