Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 22 Oct 2026.
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We value a printing from verified sales of that exact printing, and none of the first impression has come to auction in our records so far. The chart and the value by condition appear here as soon as one does.
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The British first is the Macdonald (Macdonald & Co) edition, London 1990, ISBN 0356190994, a large 24 cm volume. The American first was published by Bantam in 1990 (ISBN 0553070649), so check the imprint and ISBN. Futura issued a mass-market paperback in London the same year (ISBN 0708848729, 751 pages, 18 cm), reissued as Macdonald Futura in 1991; these are not the first.
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.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
Macdonald, England, in 1990, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 22 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →