# Is "Wolf Hall" by Hilary Mantel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Fourth Estate, 2009) 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). 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.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Fourth Estate
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Hilary Mantel |
| Publisher | Fourth Estate |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Fourth Estate, London, 2009, octavo of 653 pages, bound in publisher's black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, and with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Wolf Hall* by Hilary Mantel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/wolf-hall
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.