Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 20 Oct 2026.
No sales recorded yet
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.
Pro members with this book on their wantlist are emailed when it sells under their price.
Hoyle's first novel, first published by William Heinemann, London, in 1957; this is the true first. The jacket illustration is by Desmond Skirrow. The book is an octavo of about 250 pages (one dealer collates it as x, 250). Check that the title page and its verso show 1957 with no reprint notice, and look for an unclipped jacket with the printed price. Later paperbacks, such as the American Signet printings, 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.
Heinemann, London, in 1957, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 20 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 →