# Is "The Right to an Answer" by Anthony Burgess a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Right to an Answer by Anthony Burgess (William Heinemann, 1960) is identified by: First printing, UK Heinemann 1960. UK Heinemann (1960) is the true first; US W.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing, UK Heinemann 1960
- Publisher's black cloth boards, spine lettered in silver
- The first-issue dust jacket is illustrated by John Rowland with a predominantly black design and should retain the printed price on the front flap; the spine panel is prone to fading
- UK Heinemann 1960 precedes the US W. W. Norton edition of 1961
- Publisher imprint reads William Heinemann
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anthony Burgess |
| Publisher | William Heinemann |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing, UK Heinemann 1960 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing, UK Heinemann 1960. Publisher's black cloth boards, spine lettered in silver. The first-issue dust jacket is illustrated by John Rowland with a predominantly black design and should retain the printed price on the front flap; the spine panel is prone to fading. UK Heinemann 1960 precedes the US W. W. Norton edition of 1961.

## Is this the true first?
UK Heinemann (1960) is the true first; US W. W. Norton followed in 1961.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; look for the black cloth with silver spine lettering and the unclipped Rowland-illustrated jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Right to an Answer* by Anthony Burgess a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-right-to-an-answer
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.