# Is "The Hammer of Eden" by Ken Follett a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hammer of Eden by Ken Follett (Crown, 1998) is identified by: US first edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1998, ISBN 0-609-60308-6, 404 pages. A UK Macmillan (London) edition and a US Crown edition both appeared in 1998; several dealers list the Macmillan UK edition first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1998, ISBN 0-609-60308-6, 404 pages
- The copyright page carries the words "First Edition" together with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the terminal 1 (and the stated "First Edition") together confirming the first printing
- Bound in brown textured boards with a dark persimmon spine stamped in bronze
- The dust jacket was designed by Whitney Cookman with the author photograph by Fulgoni Photography and interior book design by Leonard Henderson; a correct first-edition jacket is not clipped and retains its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Crown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ken Follett |
| Publisher | Crown |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US first edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1998, ISBN 0-609-60308-6, 404 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US first edition: Crown Publishers, New York, 1998, ISBN 0-609-60308-6, 404 pages. The copyright page carries the words "First Edition" together with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the terminal 1 (and the stated "First Edition") together confirming the first printing. Bound in brown textured boards with a dark persimmon spine stamped in bronze. The dust jacket was designed by Whitney Cookman with the author photograph by Fulgoni Photography and interior book design by Leonard Henderson; a correct first-edition jacket is not clipped and retains its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
A UK Macmillan (London) edition and a US Crown edition both appeared in 1998; several dealers list the Macmillan UK edition first. The UK Macmillan hardcover is the likely true first for this British author, and the month-to-month precedence between the two 1998 printings is not firmly documented, so this record identifies only the US Crown first with confidence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions carry a blind-stamped dot or maple-leaf to the lower rear board, are printed on lighter bulking paper, and lack the number line entirely; the price is also absent from the jacket flap on club copies.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hammer of Eden* by Ken Follett a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hammer-of-eden
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.