London mass-market paperback imprint, part of Hutchinson by 1968 and now of Penguin Random House. Arrow copies are almost always paperback reissues of a hardback first, so they are rarely true firsts.
Arrow Books is a publisher based in London, founded in 1953. We track 264 editions it published between 1967 and 2021, 22 of them first editions across 264 books. How Arrow Books marked its first editions is set out below, with a checker for the year on your title page.
About Arrow Books
Arrow Books is a British mass-market paperback imprint that began under the Hutchinson publishing group in London and is now part of Penguin Random House UK.
Its exact starting date is poorly documented; Wikidata records 1953, without a reference. Arrow was a Hutchinson imprint when Arrow Books Limited issued the British paperback of 2001: A Space Odyssey in October 1968. Hutchinson had been set up in London by George Hutchinson in 1887.
In October 1985 Hutchinson merged with Century Publishing to form Century Hutchinson, and in 1989 the group was bought by Random House, trading as Random Century until 1992 before becoming part of the Random House Group. Arrow continued as one of Random House's leading paperback imprints, with a list including James Patterson, Robert Harris, Kathy Reichs, Katie Fforde and E. L. James; in 2012 it had more Sunday Times number one bestsellers than any other UK imprint. Since the 2013 merger of Penguin and Random House it has belonged to Penguin Random House, owned by Bertelsmann.
Holding a copy? The first edition checker shows Arrow Books's practice for the year on your title page.
Identification
How to identify Arrow Books first editions
What to look for
Arrow is a paperback imprint, not a hardback house. For most titles an Arrow copy is a later, cheaper reissue of a book first published in hardback, often by its parent or a sister imprint, so it is not the first edition. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a typical case: Hutchinson issued the hardback first and Arrow followed with the paperback in October 1968.
1950s to 1960s
Look on the copyright page for the original hardback publisher and date. If the book appeared in hardback first, the Arrow copy is at most a first paperback printing, which dealers call "first thus", not a true first.
Hutchinson, Arrow's parent at the time, marked its hardback firsts after the 1940s with "First published" and the date on the copyright page, so that is the edition to look for.
1970s to 1990s
From the 1970s most publishers put a number line on the copyright page. The lowest number showing is usually the printing, so a line that still contains 1 indicates a first printing of that Arrow edition.
A first printing of an Arrow reissue is still not a first edition of the work. Check for an earlier Hutchinson, Century or other hardback.
UNVERIFIED: books on the Arena list, which was published by Arrow, carry "First published" with the year.
From 2000
Arrow is still a mass-market paperback imprint of Penguin Random House, so for most titles a hardback from another imprint comes first.
Read the number line as above: the lowest number is the printing.
UNVERIFIED: if Arrow published a title before any hardback existed, the first Arrow printing is the true first edition. Confirm that no hardback came earlier before calling an Arrow copy a first.
Arrow is a paperback imprint, not a hardback house. For most titles an Arrow copy is a later, cheaper reissue of a book first published in hardback, often by its parent or a sister imprint, so it is not the first edition. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a typical case: Hutchinson issued the hardback first and Arrow followed with the paperback in October 1968. 1950s to 1960s - Look on the copyright page f
How many Arrow Books books does MyVolumes track?
We track 264 editions published by Arrow Books, 22 of them first editions, across 264 books.
