# Is "True History of the Kelly Gang" by Peter Carey a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (University of Queensland Press, 2000) is identified by: St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 2000, first edition, first impression. The Australian UQP edition precedes the UK Faber and US Knopf editions and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 2000, first edition, first impression. 'First published 2000 by University of Queensland Press' on the verso (ISBN 0702231673)
- The UK Faber
- and US Knopf
- editions followed
- 2001 Booker winner (Carey's second)
- Publisher imprint reads University of Queensland Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Peter Carey |
| Publisher | University of Queensland Press |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | Australian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 2000, first edition, first impression. 'First published 2000 by University of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
St Lucia, Queensland: University of Queensland Press, 2000, first edition, first impression. 'First published 2000 by University of Queensland Press' on the verso (ISBN 0702231673). The UK Faber (2001) and US Knopf (2000) editions followed. 2001 Booker winner (Carey's second).

## Is this the true first?
The Australian UQP edition precedes the UK Faber and US Knopf editions and is the true first. The Faber UK is widely collected but later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Faber UK and Knopf US are distinguished by imprint; both are later than UQP. No prominent BCE.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *True History of the Kelly Gang* by Peter Carey a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/true-history-of-the-kelly-gang
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.