# Is "Unnatural Causes" by P.D. James a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Unnatural Causes by P.D. James (Faber and Faber, 1967) is identified by: Faber and Faber first, 1967; publisher's red boards lettered in silver/gilt on the spine; copyright verso carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line. The UK Faber edition of 1967 precedes the US Scribner edition; the Scribner copyright code A-8.67 dates the American printing to August 1967, after Faber.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Faber and Faber first, 1967; publisher's red boards lettered in silver/gilt on the spine; copyright verso carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line
- First-issue dust jacket unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Faber and Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | P.D. James |
| Publisher | Faber and Faber |
| Year | 1967 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Faber and Faber first, 1967; publisher's red boards lettered in silver/gilt on the spine; copyright verso carries a single first-published… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Faber and Faber first, 1967; publisher's red boards lettered in silver/gilt on the spine; copyright verso carries a single first-published statement with no later-impression line. First-issue dust jacket unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Faber edition of 1967 precedes the US Scribner edition; the Scribner copyright code A-8.67 dates the American printing to August 1967, after Faber. Third Adam Dalgliesh novel. UK Faber is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add a printing statement to the verso. Price-clipped jackets lose the original price point. The US Scribner is a separate first American edition, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Unnatural Causes* by P.D. James a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/unnatural-causes
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.