Is My 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 — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

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.