# Is "On Wings of Eagles" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of On Wings of Eagles by Ken Follett (William Morrow, 1983) is identified by: The US William Morrow first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page (Morrow's convention of this era used the number line rather than a printed 'First Edition' statement). The UK Collins edition, London 1983, is generally regarded as the true first, with black-and-white plates, endpaper maps and cream cloth boards gilt-lettered on the spine in a jacket carrying the original UK printed price and a rear-panel author photograph without review blurbs; the US William Morrow edition of 1983 is the first American edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US William Morrow first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page (Morrow's convention of this era used the number line rather than a printed 'First Edition' statement)
- Blue and ivory boards stamped in silver, with map endpapers; the text carries black-and-white photographs across 444 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Lawrence Ratzkin, illustrated, and should retain its printed jacket price at the upper flap corner; some early copies also carried a promotional wrap-around band
- This is a work of nonfiction, the account of Ross Perot's team going into Iran
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1983 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US William Morrow first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page (Morrow's convention of this… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US William Morrow first printing is identified by a complete descending number line on the copyright page (Morrow's convention of this era used the number line rather than a printed 'First Edition' statement). Blue and ivory boards stamped in silver, with map endpapers; the text carries black-and-white photographs across 444 pages. The first-issue dust jacket was designed by Lawrence Ratzkin, illustrated, and should retain its printed jacket price at the upper flap corner; some early copies also carried a promotional wrap-around band. This is a work of nonfiction, the account of Ross Perot's team going into Iran.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Collins edition, London 1983, is generally regarded as the true first, with black-and-white plates, endpaper maps and cream cloth boards gilt-lettered on the spine in a jacket carrying the original UK printed price and a rear-panel author photograph without review blurbs; the US William Morrow edition of 1983 is the first American edition. Both appeared in 1983.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club copies show a blind stamp (small blindstamped square or dot) to the lower rear board and lack the full number line; the BCE is also printed on lighter, bulkier paper and its jacket bears no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *On Wings of Eagles* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/on-wings-of-eagles
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.