# Is "Through the Window" by Julian Barnes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Through the Window by Julian Barnes (Vintage, 2012) is identified by: Seventeen essays on literature and one short story ('Homage to Hemingway', beginning at page 175), with a short preface titled 'A Life with Books'; trade paperback original with full number line. UK Vintage paperback original (2012) is the true first; the First Vintage International edition (US, October 2012) followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Seventeen essays on literature and one short story ('Homage to Hemingway', beginning at page 175), with a short preface titled 'A Life with Books'; trade paperback original with full number line
- The First Vintage International paperback (US) followed in October 2012
- Minor title
- Publisher imprint reads Vintage
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Julian Barnes |
| Publisher | Vintage |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Seventeen essays on literature and one short story ('Homage to Hemingway', beginning at page 175), with a short preface titled 'A Life with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Seventeen essays on literature and one short story ('Homage to Hemingway', beginning at page 175), with a short preface titled 'A Life with Books'; trade paperback original with full number line. The First Vintage International paperback (US) followed in October 2012. Minor title.

## Is this the true first?
UK Vintage paperback original (2012) is the true first; the First Vintage International edition (US, October 2012) followed. Note that the preface within this collection shares the title 'A Life with Books' with the separate, much shorter stand-alone booklet 'A Life with Books' (Jonathan Cape, 2012) — the two are not the same publication.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Through the Window* by Julian Barnes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/through-the-window
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.