Knopf, 1989 cover
Cover of the Knopf, 1989 edition of this book. The Viking 1989 jacket has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 29 Oct 2026.
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The British first is the Viking hardback, London, 1989, ISBN 0-670-81012-6, about 948 pages with illustrations; AbeBooks gives a publication date of 25 May 1989 and Open Library May 1989. The American Alfred A. Knopf edition (ISBN 0-394-55948-7) came out the same year and is marked '1st edition', so check the imprint on the title page and the ISBN rather than relying on bulk or binding. Penguin paperbacks, the Vintage paperback (1990) and the Folio Society edition (2004, two volumes in a slipcase, reprinted with minor emendations) are not firsts. Look for the absence of any reprint line on the copyright page.
Viking's British list, published in London under Penguin, marks a first impression with a "First published" line and a complete number line on the reverse of the title page.
How to read it
Read the full guide to Viking first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
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The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Viking, London, in 1989, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 29 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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