Is My Copy of Wolf Hall a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Fourth Estate, London, 2009, octavo of 653 pages, bound in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, and with colour-illustrated endpapers reproducing a chess treatise (Luca Pacioli's De Ludo Scachorum)
• The first printing shows the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
• The crucial first-state jacket point: because the novel was published before it won the Booker Prize, the true first-issue dust jacket (designed by Andy Bridge and retaining its printed price) carries NO reference to the Booker Prize; later printings add 'Winner of the 2009 MAN Booker Prize' to the jacket

How Fourth Estate marked a first edition

• Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in [year] by Fourth Estate' (early independent years sometimes 'Fourth Estate Ltd').
• Descending number line; a first printing ends in '1' (e.g. '1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2' or '9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1').

Full Fourth Estate first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Fourth Estate London 2009 is the true first; the Henry Holt / John Macrae New York 2009 edition is the first US and does not precede it. The most desirable state is the first printing in the pre-Booker first-state jacket; signed firsts are especially sought.P-011490

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A number line not ending in 1, or a jacket bearing the 'Winner of the 2009 MAN Booker Prize' banner, indicates a later printing. The US edition carries the Henry Holt imprint. Book-club and later trade copies lack the priced pre-Booker Fourth Estate first-state jacket.P-011491

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Wolf Hall a first edition?

A first edition of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Fourth Estate) is identified by: Fourth Estate, London, 2009, octavo of 653 pages, bound in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, and with colour-illustrated endpapers reproducing a chess treatise (Luca Pacioli's De Ludo Scachorum).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). Fourth Estate London 2009 is the true first; the Henry Holt / John Macrae New York 2009 edition is the first US and does not precede it.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

A number line not ending in 1, or a jacket bearing the 'Winner of the 2009 MAN Booker Prize' banner, indicates a later printing. The US edition carries the Henry Holt imprint. Book-club and later trade copies lack the priced pre-Booker Fourth Estate first-state jacket.

I have a first edition of Wolf Hall — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.