Imagined Communities, cover of the Verso, 1991 edition (the Verso 1983 cover is not yet photographed)Verso, 1991 cover

Cover of the Verso, 1991 edition of this book. The Verso 1983 jacket has not been photographed yet.

First edition Hardback

Imagined Communities (1983)

Publisher Verso Year 1983 ISBN 9780860910596

Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 Oct 2026.

Market value

What decides the price

  • It is the first edition, which is the one collectors want.
  • The original dust jacket carries much of the price for a book of this age; its condition matters as much as the book's.
  • Condition is graded separately for book and jacket, from Fine down to Poor.

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Sales record

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In short

Quick answer

Who published the Imagined Communities first edition?
Verso, London, in 1983, in hardback.
Identification

How to identify this edition

First published by Verso Editions in London in 1983, 160 pages with notes, bibliography and index. Cloth and paper issues came out together: a contemporary review priced them at $24 and $6.50 for the American market, where Schocken distributed the book. Catalogue records give two ISBNs for the 1983 edition, 0 86091 059 8 and 0 86091 759 2. A revised edition with added chapters followed in 1991 and a further revision in 2006, so check for the 1983 date and the 160-page text.

Printing by printing

Printings and states

First impression

1983

At a glance

Not yet researched

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.

Notes

The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.

Questions collectors ask

Frequently asked questions

Who published the Imagined Communities first edition?

Verso, London, in 1983, in hardback.

Sources

Where these facts come from

  • British National Bibliography, record GB8402225
  • Imagined Communities, Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
  • Imagined communities, Open Library edition record (openlibrary.org)
  • Review of Imagined Communities, Journal of Asian Studies, Cambridge Core (cambridge.org)

Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.