# Is "No Comebacks" by Frederick Forsyth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of No Comebacks by Frederick Forsyth (Hutchinson, 1982) is identified by: first edition, London, 1982, 256 pages; Forsyth's first collection of short fiction, gathering ten stories (seven of them not previously published). The UK Hutchinson 1982 edition is the true first and is Forsyth's first short-story collection; the US Viking edition of 1982 is the first American, not the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Hutchinson & Co. first edition, London, 1982, 256 pages
- Forsyth's first collection of short fiction, gathering ten stories (seven of them not previously published)
- Bound in publisher's black paper-covered boards blocked and lettered in silver on the spine, issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed price on an unclipped copy
- The first printing shows no later-impression line; second and subsequent impressions are stated as such on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Frederick Forsyth |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Hutchinson & Co. first edition, London, 1982, 256 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
UK Hutchinson & Co. first edition, London, 1982, 256 pages; Forsyth's first collection of short fiction, gathering ten stories (seven of them not previously published). Bound in publisher's black paper-covered boards blocked and lettered in silver on the spine, issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its original printed price on an unclipped copy. The first printing shows no later-impression line; second and subsequent impressions are stated as such on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Hutchinson 1982 edition is the true first and is Forsyth's first short-story collection; the US Viking edition of 1982 is the first American, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book Club Associates printings for the UK market are a separate issue: they carry a board blindstamp, often lack the printed jacket price, and do not have the Hutchinson first-impression setting.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *No Comebacks* by Frederick Forsyth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/no-comebacks
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.