Eye of the Needle was published by Futura in the UK in 1978 (as Storm Island; the US edition from Arbor House used the now-standard title). The novel made Ken Follett internationally famous and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel. It sold over ten million copies and was adapted into a 1981 film starring Donald Sutherland.
Henry Faber, codenamed “Die Nadel” by British intelligence for his habit of killing with a stiletto, is a deep-cover Abwehr agent who has been operating in Britain since before the war. In 1944, he photographs the dummy army in East Anglia — FUSAG, the phantom force that is the heart of Operation Fortitude, the deception plan designed to convince Hitler that the invasion will come at Calais rather than Normandy. If Faber’s intelligence reaches Berlin, the D-Day landings will face the full strength of the Wehrmacht at the beachhead.
A storm drives Faber onto Storm Island, off the Scottish coast, where only four people live: Lucy, her wheelchair-bound husband David (a former fighter pilot crippled in an accident on their wedding night), their young son, and an old shepherd. The final act becomes a claustrophobic thriller as Lucy discovers who Faber is and must stop him from reaching the U-boat.
Collecting Eye of the Needle
First edition (Futura, London, 1978 as Storm Island): Paperback original in the UK.
First US hardcover (Arbor House, New York, 1978): Boards with dust jacket.
Market values:
- US first hardcover (Arbor House), fine in jacket: $200–$500
- UK paperback original, fine: $50–$150
- Signed copies: $300–$600
Projected values (2026–2036): Strong appreciation. Follett’s breakthrough thriller.
The Spy on Storm Island
Eye of the Needle (1978) — published in the UK as Storm Island — follows Die Nadel (“The Needle”), a ruthless German spy who discovers the Allied deception plan for D-Day and must be stopped before he can transmit the intelligence to Berlin. The climax, set on a remote Scottish island during a storm, is one of the great set pieces in thriller fiction. The novel won the Edgar Award and established Follett as a major thriller writer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the UK first edition different from the US? Yes. The novel was published in the UK by Futura as a paperback original under the title Storm Island (1978). The US hardcover, published by Arbor House as Eye of the Needle, is the more sought-after collectible, but the UK paperback original is scarcer and increasingly valued by collectors who recognise it as the true first edition.