# Is "Whip Hand" by Dick Francis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Whip Hand by Dick Francis (Michael Joseph, 1979) is identified by: UK Michael Joseph first, 1979, with the 'First published in Great Britain' statement on the copyright page and no statement of a later impression. The UK Michael Joseph 1979 edition is the true first; the US Harper & Row 1980 edition is a first-thus and post-dates it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Michael Joseph first, 1979, with the 'First published in Great Britain' statement on the copyright page and no statement of a later impression
- The second Sid Halley novel
- It won the 1979 CWA Gold Dagger and the Edgar Award for Best Novel (awarded 1981 for the 1980 US edition) — one of only two novels to take both honors, alongside Le Carre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
- Publisher imprint reads Michael Joseph
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dick Francis |
| Publisher | Michael Joseph |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Michael Joseph first, 1979, with the 'First published in Great Britain' statement on the copyright page and no statement of a later… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Michael Joseph first, 1979, with the 'First published in Great Britain' statement on the copyright page and no statement of a later impression. The second Sid Halley novel. It won the 1979 CWA Gold Dagger and the Edgar Award for Best Novel (awarded 1981 for the 1980 US edition) — one of only two novels to take both honors, alongside Le Carre's The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Michael Joseph 1979 edition is the true first; the US Harper & Row 1980 edition is a first-thus and post-dates it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book Club Associates (BCA) UK editions carry a BCA code and no jacket price and are not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Whip Hand* by Dick Francis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/whip-hand
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.