# Is "Union Street" by Pat Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Union Street by Pat Barker (Virago, 1982) is identified by: Barker's debut novel, a Virago original published 1982 (on sale 13 May 1982). UK Virago (1982) is the true first; the US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Barker's debut novel, a Virago original published 1982 (on sale 13 May 1982)
- Issued by Virago Press as a paperback original; a hardcover/library binding is comparatively scarce
- Seven linked stories of working-class women on Union Street
- Publisher imprint reads Virago
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Pat Barker |
| Publisher | Virago |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Barker's debut novel, a Virago original published 1982 (on sale 13 May 1982) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Barker's debut novel, a Virago original published 1982 (on sale 13 May 1982). Issued by Virago Press as a paperback original; a hardcover/library binding is comparatively scarce. Seven linked stories of working-class women on Union Street.

## Is this the true first?
UK Virago (1982) is the true first; the US G.P. Putnam's Sons edition followed in 1983 (issued in hardcover). UK precedes. Note the paperback-original status of the Virago first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later film tie-in editions associated with the 1990 film 'Stanley & Iris' are reprints, not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Union Street* by Pat Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/union-street
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.