Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 10 Nov 2026.
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The story was first published as a short book by Random House in New York, with a 1983 copyright (ISBN 0 394 53266 X). The British first is the Hamish Hamilton edition published in London the same year, a slim hardback of 43 pages, about 25 cm tall, ISBN 0 241 11143 9, issued in a dust jacket. Look for the Hamish Hamilton imprint on the title page and the 0 241 ISBN; copies with the 0 394 ISBN are the American edition, and the Random House edition of 1995 (ISBN 9780679443469) is a later reissue.
Read the full guide to Hamish Hamilton 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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Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1983, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 10 November 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 →