Another edition's cover
Cover of another edition of this book. The Methuen 1985 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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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 true first is the Greenwillow Books edition published in the United States in 1984. The first British edition is the Methuen hardback of 1985, ISBN 0 416 50960 6, 341 pages. The British Library dates it 1985 with a 1984 copyright, so a 1984 copyright line on the reverse of the title page is expected on the British first and does not by itself mean an American copy; check for the Methuen imprint and the 0 416 ISBN.
Read the full guide to Methuen 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.
Know the points? Tell us. We publish them, with credit, once a second source agrees.
The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Methuen, London, in 1985, 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.
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 →