Ballantine, 1985 cover
Cover of the Ballantine, 1985 edition of this book. The Hamish Hamilton 1985 jacket has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 30 Oct 2026.
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The true first edition is American: Pantheon Books, New York, 1984 (ISBN 0 394 53103 5), which states First Edition on the copyright page. The book won the 1985 Pulitzer Prize for general non-fiction. The first British edition is the Hamish Hamilton hardback of 1985 (ISBN 0 241 11493 4). Check the verso for the Hamish Hamilton imprint and 1985; the Pantheon first is in navy cloth with a dollar price on the jacket flap.
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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The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Hamish Hamilton, London, in 1985, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 30 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
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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 …
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