The Secret History
by Donna Tartt
The Secret History is Donna Tartt's debut novel, first published by Alfred A. Knopf in New York in September 1992, with a Viking edition the same year. Richard Papen narrates the story of a closed circle of classics students in Vermont, revealing a killing at the start and then tracing its causes.
- Editions tracked
- 2
- First edition
- Knopf, 1992
- First published
- Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1992
- First UK edition
- Viking, 1992
The first edition of The Secret History by Donna Tartt was published in New York by Knopf in 1992. We track 2 editions.
Which edition do you have?
First edition
Later and other editions
We have not yet researched the issue points for this book. If you know how to tell the first from later printings, tell us and we will credit you once it is checked against a second source.
Awards, adaptations and setting
Setting and characters
- Set in
- Vermont
- Characters
- Richard Papen, Henry Winter, Bunny (Edmund Corcoran), Charles Macauley, Camilla Macauley, Julian Morrow, Judy Poovey
- Genre
- campus novel, psychological fiction, secret history
In print
- Editions recorded
- 52 on Open Library, 19 in English
- Wikipedia
- Articles in 24 languages
From Wikidata and Open Library, both CC0. A prize or a new adaptation often lifts demand for the first printing.
More by Donna Tartt
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How to Identify a First Edition
To 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: Fine to Poor Explained
Book condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →7 min readDust Jackets Explained: Why the Jacket Drives a Book's Value
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →Frequently asked questions
Who published the first edition of The Secret History?
The first edition of The Secret History by Donna Tartt was published in New York by Knopf in 1992.
How many editions of The Secret History are there?
We track 2 editions of The Secret History, including 1 first edition. Each has its own page with how to identify it.
Where these facts come from
- The Secret History, Wikipedia, 2026 (en.wikipedia.org)
- The Secret History, Open Library (openlibrary.org)
Every fact on this page was checked against the sources listed. Checked 17 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.