# Is "The Steep Approach to Garbadale" by Iain Banks a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Steep Approach to Garbadale by Iain Banks (Little, Brown, 2007) is identified by: First UK trade edition, Little, Brown (London), 2007, in red paper-covered boards with plain white endpapers, 390 numbered pages; copyright page states First published in Great Britain in 2007 with a full number line, issued in a priced, unclipped dust jacket. UK Little, Brown hardcover (2007) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK trade edition, Little, Brown (London), 2007, in red paper-covered boards with plain white endpapers, 390 numbered pages; copyright page states First published in Great Britain in 2007 with a full number line, issued in a priced, unclipped dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Iain Banks |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK trade edition, Little, Brown (London), 2007, in red paper-covered boards with plain white endpapers, 390 numbered pages; copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK trade edition, Little, Brown (London), 2007, in red paper-covered boards with plain white endpapers, 390 numbered pages; copyright page states First published in Great Britain in 2007 with a full number line, issued in a priced, unclipped dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
UK Little, Brown hardcover (2007) is the true first. Note a distinct simultaneous limited issue: a Waterstone's signed limited edition of 1,000 numbered copies, signed by Banks on the limitation page and housed in an illustrated slipcase, issued without a dust jacket as issued; this is a separate issue from the trade first, not a later printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable for the trade first. The numbered slipcased limited edition is a distinct signed issue, not a book-club printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Steep Approach to Garbadale* by Iain Banks a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-steep-approach-to-garbadale
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.