Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 29 Oct 2026.
Buy a copy: eBay
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.
The British first is the Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardback, London 2012, ISBN 978-0-297-84497-6. Library records describe it as xii, 863 pages with 32 unnumbered pages of plates, illustrations and maps, 24 cm, with maps on the lining papers. Little, Brown issued the American edition (ISBN 978-0-316-02374-0), which is not the UK first; check that the title page names Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Later British issues are the Phoenix paperback of 2013 (ISBN 978-0-7538-2824-3) and a Weidenfeld & Nicolson paperback of 2014 (ISBN 978-1-78022-564-7, 994 pages, bibliographical references omitted). Check the verso for any reprint statement.
A Weidenfeld & Nicolson first edition carries either a "First published in (year)" line on the copyright page or no edition statement at all. Later printings are noted on the copyright page.
How to read it
Read the full guide to Weidenfeld & Nicolson 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.
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London, in 2012, 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 →