# Is "Ways of Seeing" by John Berger a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ways of Seeing by John Berger (British Broadcasting Corporation & Penguin Books, 1972) is identified by: The true first is a paperback original: BBC and Penguin Books, Harmondsworth/London, 1972, Crown 8vo (approx. UK paperback original (Penguin/BBC, 1972) holds precedence and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is a paperback original: BBC and Penguin Books, Harmondsworth/London, 1972, Crown 8vo (approx
- 195 x 129 mm), 170 pp. with numerous illustrations, issued in off-white stiff card wrappers printed in black in the influential layout designed by Richard Hollis (text frequently set to run directly into the images)
- No hardcover was issued in 1972; the true first shows no additional reprint line, whereas later Penguin impressions add a reprint statement and revised wrapper pricing
- Identify by the 1972 date, the off-white Hollis card wrappers, and the absence of any later-printing line
- Publisher imprint reads British Broadcasting Corporation & Penguin Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Berger |
| Publisher | British Broadcasting Corporation & Penguin Books |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is a paperback original: BBC and Penguin Books, Harmondsworth/London, 1972, Crown 8vo (approx |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is a paperback original: BBC and Penguin Books, Harmondsworth/London, 1972, Crown 8vo (approx. 195 x 129 mm), 170 pp. with numerous illustrations, issued in off-white stiff card wrappers printed in black in the influential layout designed by Richard Hollis (text frequently set to run directly into the images). No hardcover was issued in 1972; the true first shows no additional reprint line, whereas later Penguin impressions add a reprint statement and revised wrapper pricing. Identify by the 1972 date, the off-white Hollis card wrappers, and the absence of any later-printing line.

## Is this the true first?
UK paperback original (Penguin/BBC, 1972) holds precedence and is the true first. The first hardcover and first US edition is The Viking Press, New York, 1973 (quarter beige cloth, priced jacket) — a separately collected 'first thus'; both are collected, but the 1972 Penguin wrappers are the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Penguin printings and the reset 1990 edition (ISBN 0-14-013515-2) are reprints; the Viking 1973 hardcover is the US first-thus rather than a book-club edition. No common BCE is documented.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ways of Seeing* by John Berger a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ways-of-seeing
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.