As stated in the credits, the European editions were "Made in Germany manufacturing Europe". All international editions were modeled after them except for the American and Canadian ones as well as the unlicensed cassettes from third world countries.

Germany/Europe CD [WEA 450990327-2]
This first of two Best Ofs released in 1992 features on the front the left half of the 'Biker Couple' artwork (view left). Most of the back shows a pink tinted close-up of a background detail from the front artwork, with track listing printed over it in black. A black stripe at the bottom features credits in white and a barcode (view left). The booklet includes the following content: a blank pink page, a black and white page of credits, two black and white pages of lyrics, two black and pink pages of lyrics, three black and white pages of lyrics and a page advertising the track listing of "Best...II". The back of the booklet repeats the close-up of a detail from the background of the front artwork. The cd surface is black with light grey text. The track listing is found at the top, label credits in the middle and release information at the bottom. The case has a Warner 'w' logo etched in the bottom right corner on the front.

The 2-cd box set which pairs this cd with "Best...II" is covered in the section dedicated to multi-title sets.

Germany/Europe cassette [WEA 450990327-4]
The female half of the 'biker couple' artwork was adapted for the cassette format (view left). The spine and back are black with white text. The back shows a track listing, barcode and label credits. The insert unfolds into four additional panels. The first two show a pink tinted close-up of a background detail from the front artwork, with track listing and credits printed over it in black. The next two panels feature the lyrics to the album's first four songs, in black over white. The reverse of the insert features the rest of the lyrics and a pink and black advertisement for "Best...II" (its track listing and part of the artwork). The cassette itself is made of clear plastic with light grey text printed onto it.

Germany/Europe LP [WEA 450990327-1]
The front artwork of the LP is just like that of the cd but the text appears relatively smaller (view left). Most of the back shows a pink tinted close-up of a background detail from the front artwork, with track listing and label credits printed over it in black. A black stripe at the bottom features white credits and a barcode (view left). The record is slipped inside a plain white paper inner sleeve. Its labels are black with all the text in grey except for "The Smiths" which is printed in beige.

Germany/Europe LP acetate [WEA 450990327-1]
A double-sided LP acetate has made it into the hands of some collectors. It is circulated in a white card sleeve with green "The Hit Factory" logo and "25.6.92", "The Smiths" and "Best Of...Volume 1" handwritten in black marker. The record has white "Hit Factory" labels with handwritten track listing.

Argentina CD [WEA 450990327-2]
The Argentinian compact disc features the usual European artwork on the front. The back is very similar to that of the German/Europe edition described above. The only differences are found in the text inside the black section at the bottom: an "Industria Argentina" credit was added to the usual one, and the font and layout was slightly changed. Information about any differences found inside is needed.

Argentina cassette [WEA 450990327-4]
Instead of the usual cassette artwork, the Argentina cassette features on its front a greyscale version of the LP artwork. The bottom space is all back with, in white, "Vol. 1", the WEA logo in the bottom left corner and the Warner logo in the bottom right corner. Information about the rest of the packaging (insert, back, cassette) is needed.

Australia CD [Warner Australia 450990327-2]
The packaging and content of the Australian cd parallels its European counterpart described above. The only differences are found on the back and on the disc. The "Made In Germany" line on the back was replaced with one mentioning Warner Music Australia and the French price code beneath the barcode was removed. Information about the disc and how it differs to its European counterpart is needed.

Australia cassette [Warner Australia 450990327-4]
Information about this item is needed.

Brazil CD [WEA 450990327-2]
The Brazil cd features the LP version of the artwork on the front. The rest is expected to be modelled on the European cd described above, with minor adaptations in the credits (confirmation needed).

Brazil cassette [WEA 450990327-4]
Information needed.

Brazil LP [WEA 670.9421]
This is the only official vinyl edition of "Best...I" other than the European one described above and the Croatian one described below. The front artwork is the same as for the European LP but the name of the band was given a deeper reddish-pink tint and the Brazilian catalogue number appears in small print in the top right corner. The back is almost the same. It lacks the barcode and minor changes were made to the credits to account for the involvement of WEA Brazil. The record is slipped inside a clear film anti-static inner sleeve instead of a white paper one. The record's labels are similar to the European ones. They are also black with grey text and "The Smiths" in beige but the layout is slightly different and there are the expected corrections to the credits.

Canada CD [Sire/Reprise CDW45042]
The Canadian cd is almost identical to its American counterpart (see description below). It only differs from it in the catalogue number on the spine, at the back of the booklet and on the disc surface, and in the credits on the back and on the disc.

Early copies lack the credits for the cover star and the sleeve design on the credits page inside the booklet. This was corrected on later pressings.

Canada CD [Columbia House W2 45042; record club edition]
This record club edition differs from the standard retail edition above by only a few details. The barcode on the back and the catalogue number on the spine were changed for the Columbia House ones. The few lines of credits at the bottom of the back tray inlay were corrected to mention Columbia House as well as Sire. Against expectations, the catalogue number was not corrected on the disc and on the back of the booklet. The first page of the booklet (the one with credits) corresponds to the revised stock variation described above, as it includes the credit for the cover star and sleeve design.

Canada cassette [Sire/Reprise 24 50424]
This Canadian cassette is expected to look just like its American counterpart with only minor corrections made to the catalogue number and credits (confirmation needed).

Canada cassette [Columbia House W4 45042; record club edition]
The insert to this record club edition is very similar to that of the original retail issue. The Columbia House catalogue number was added in black at the bottom of the spine, their order number replaced the original one in the barcode box on the back flap, and the credits beneath that were changed for Columbia House ones. The insert comes with the usual two panels featuring track listing and credits, but it is unclear whether the black and white lyric panels are included or not. The cassette is made of clear plastic with grey text printed onto it: release id and track listing at the top, Columbia House catalogue number on the left between the Sire and Reprise logos, side number and Dolby logo on the right and copyright at the bottom.

Chile cassette [WEA 198398]
The artwork of the Chilean cassette shows the smoking woman 'vertically' instead of sideways like on the European cassette. "The Smiths" is still printed in pink over it, and "Best...I" in white, but the font used is completely different. Information about the insert is needed. The cassette is made of transparent plastic and the track listing is printed on it in white.

Croatia LP [Croatia Records/WEA 2039153]
The sleeve of the Croatia LP is perhaps slightly thinner than its pan-European counterpart. The front is just the same and the back shows additional Croatian credits and Croatia Records logo in the bottom right corner. The record is slipped in an anti-static plastic inner sleeve. The labels are just like those of the European LP but there is an extra catalogue number on them and the words "Made in Germany" were replaced with a logo.

Croatia cassette [Croatia Records/WEA MC-7-S 3039152]
The Croatia cassette is very likely unlicensed. It features the European cassette artwork on the front. The back and spine are like those of the European cassette, with minor changes. A Croatia Records logo was added on the spine and the catalogue number was replaced with the Croatian one. Croatia Records credits were added in the bottom left corner on the back and the barcode was changed. What appears to be a warning was added on the reverse of the insert, in the top right corner behind the back flap. The cassette is made of black plastic and bears yellow labels with black text. Croatia Records information is found on the left of them, "The Smiths" and album title at the top, copyright info at the bottom, and catalogue number and what appears to be some reproduction warning on the right.

Czechoslovakia CD [WEA/Popron 450990327-2/50202-2]
The front of this edition is the usual European variation. The back is identical to its European counterpart described at the top of this page except for the fact that the barcode was replaced in its white box with the word "Popron" and the catalogue number "50 202-2". The booklet content appears to not have been altered. A few changes were made to the disc: the "Made in Germany", "GEMA/BIEM" and label code on the right were replaced with "Made in C.S.F.R." and an OSA logo, "popron 50 202-2" was added at the bottom above the WEA logo and some credits were added around the outer edge.

Czechoslovakia cassette [WEA 450990327-4]
The Czech cassette is expected to be modelled on its European counterpart described above, with minor adaptations in the credits (confirmation needed).

Israel cassette [WEA/Hed Arzi 450990327-4]
The insert of the Israel cassette is exactly the same as its European counterpart described above but was stamped in black ink with Hebrew text on both sides. The cassette is made of white plastic and has blue text on it. A WEA logo is found on the left; band name, album title, catalogue number and track listing at the top; side number, ACUM mention and Hebrew text on the right; and a reproduction warning at the bottom.

Japan CD [WEA WMC5-540]
The Japanese cd shows the same front artwork as the European cd. The back has the same configuration as its European counterpart but the colours are all different. The background image is grey instead of pink but the track listing over it is printed in pink. The bottom stripe is pink with white credits that were adapted for the Japanese branch of the record label. There is no barcode inside that stripe because it appears instead on the back of the greyish mauve obi, beneath an advertisement for the "This Charming Man" single reissue and next to credits in Japanese. The pages of the booklet are all of a slightly paler salmon pink than the first page of the booklet from the European cd. The reverse of the front page is empty and next to it is one page featuring the track listing in English. This is followed by seven pages of lyrics, again in English, then another page with the tracklisting, this time both in English and Japanese, then what appears to be a biography in Japanese, over four pages, then three pages of Japanese lyrics. The inner side of the back page shows the same advertisement for "Best...II" that appears in the booklet of the European compact disc. The text layout on the disc is the same as in Europe, but the cd is pink, the text is black and "The Smiths" is silver (no colour). The credits and catalogue number were of course changed for Japanese ones. The cd tray is made of white plastic.

Japan CD [1997 reissue on WEA WPCR-1271]
It is expected that besides having a different obi (khaki with white text and a red price box at the top), this reissue looks just like the original 1992 edition except for the different catalogue number. Confirmation needed. The cd tray is still made of white plastic.

Japan CD [2014 reissue on WEA WPCR-15336]
The front of this edition is the same as that of earlier pressings. The back still shows the track listing printed in pink over the black and white background image, but the credits at the bottom inside the pink stripe were slightly changed. The most obvious change is the obi which is now yellow with a big golden crest at the top on the front. The text on it is mostly black with a bit of red and blue. Description of any differences found in the booklet, on the spine or on the disc is needed.

Japan CD promo [WEA WMC5-540]
The Japanese promo cd presumably is a stock copy with a promo sticker on the back and SAMPLE etched on the cd's inner ring. Confirmation needed.

Japan various artists promo cd WEA Top Hits
A various artists promo cd titled "WEA Top Hits September 1992" featuring "This Charming Man" was dispatched to radio in order to promote "Best...I" as well as recent releases by other artists. The front artwork shows an old-style drawing of a smoking man's head over a yellow and purple background. The cd comes with a press release.

Japan ad 30cm x 40cm (12" x 16")
View here.

Japan ad 18cm x 25cm (7" x 10")
This is very similar to the one above, but smaller. The "9.25 On Sale" bubble in the top right corner was changed to one stating "Now on sale", and the ad for Aztec Camera's "Spanish Horses" album at the bottom takes the whole width.

Malaysia cassette [Warner ??]
The front of this unlicensed edition is modeled on the front of the European cassette but the band name and album title appear in white instead of pink. Information on the rest of the packaging is needed.

Mexico CD [WEA 450990327-2]
The front of this edition shows the usual European artwork on the front but the name of the band is closer to red than the usual deep pink. The usual shade of pink on the back is also much redder here. The font of the track listing was changed so that the production credits could be move out of the black bar at the bottom, over the pink image. The usual credits in that black stripe were changed to lengthier Mexican ones, and various logos were added. Information about any differences found in the booklet or on the disc is needed.

Mexico cassette [WEA 450990327-4]
The Mexican cassette is expected to be modelled on the European cassette described above, with minor adaptations in the credits (confirmation needed).

Philippines cassette [Warner Music Philippines 450990327-4]
This edition was modelled on its German/European counterpart. The front and spine are identical but the name of the band is of a much paler pink shade that is almost beige. The bottom two lines of credits on the back were replaced with a Warner Music Philippines credit. The rest of the insert is identical with the exception of the shade of pink on both sides which is much paler, and the addition of a Warner Music Philippines credit beneath the title on the reverse of the back flap. The cassette itself is made of clear plastic and bears white paper labels. The text on them is black and kept to a minimum: band name and album title at the top, WEA logo and catalogue number on the left, side number on the right and a one-line Warner Music Philippines credit at the bottom.

Poland cassette [WEA 450990327]
This is almost identical to the European cassette. The only differences are the Warner "W" logo instead of the WEA logo on the spine and the cassette, and the Warner Music Poland credit on the cassette.

Saudi Arabia cassette [Thomsun EN4833]
This unlicensed edition shows the LP or CD artwork on the front, over a white background. "The Smiths" appears in green and "Best...I" in pink at the top, with a pink Thomsun Original logo in the bottom left corner. Information on the rest of the packaging is needed.

South Africa CD [WEA/Tusk WICD 5149
This edition was modelled on the German/European one described at the top of this page. The front is identical, and the back differs only in the credits at the bottom which were adapted to mention WB publishing and distribution by Tusk. Logos for Tusk and Interpak were also added to the left of the barcode. The booklet is identical to the European ones except for the fact that all the pages inside are pink instead of white. The disc is red instead of black and patterns can be visible on copies that have been manipulated a good deal, as the paint on the surface did not stick very well. The text on it is black and its layout is the same as on the European disc, with a few changes: the catalogue number at the very top was removed, an Interpak logo was added beneath the Compact Disc one on the left, a WEA logo and catalogue number and a CDT credit were added above the credits on the right, and a Tusk credit and logo replace everything originally found beneath the copyright.

Taiwan cassette [Warner Music International/UFO 4509-90327-4/WUT70091]
This unlicensed edition shows the LP artwork on the front, above black space in which are found logos for UFO and Warner Music International as well as Taiwanese text. The insert is a wraparound one with two spines, one in English and one in Taiwanese. The spines, back flap and inner panel are all silver with black text. The spines state the album identification at the centre, with UFO logo and catalogue number at the top and WEA logo and catalogue number at the bottom. The track listing is found in English on the back flap above various Taiwanese UFO credits. The inner panel shows the track listing in English, below red and blue Taiwanese characters and what may very well be a bio in Taiwanese. Bilingual UFO Group credits are found at the bottom of it. Found inside is another insert, this one two-sided and folded in 16, featuring lyrics and what may be a bio of the band, over very pale photos of the band members (two on each side). A photo of the Smiths in front of the Salford Lads Club is also seen in the bottom right corner on one side. The cassette is made of black plastic with silver text: album id and track listing at the top, UFO logo and catalogue number on the left, WEA logo and catalogue number on the right and credits at the bottom.

Thailand cassette [WEA 90327-4]
This edition comes inside a case etched with the WEA logo. The insert is identical to its European counterpart with the exception of an additional manufacturing and distribution credit on the reverse of the spine and back flap. The cassette itself is made of pale grey plastic and bears printed black text: album identification and track listing at the top, WEA and Dolby logos and catalogue number on the right, duplication warning at the bottom.

Turkey cassette [WEA/MMY 4509-90327-4]
The front of this (likely) unlicensed cassette is the same as the front of the European cassette. The spine and back are also black with white text, but still slightly different to their European counterparts. The spine looks similar but it only shows the 4509- catalogue number and the font of the band name and title is different. The back is completely different: there is no barcode and only a track listing above Warner and MMY credits. Information on the rest of the insert (if any) is needed. The cassette is made of clear plastic with white text printed onto it in a different layout than in Europe.

Ukraine cassette [WEA/Eurostar 450990327-4]
Information needed.

UK music book [Warner Bros Music Ltd]
A4 size 64-page songbook featuring the music and words for the 14 tracks on the album. For piano, guitar and vocals. Also includes photos of the band. View here.

UK television ad [Vanderquest/Warner WEAD SM1 999]
A 30-second ad was put together to promote "Best...I". It was distributed on a Vanderquest promo VHS. The videocassette comes in a plain white slipcase. It has on its spine a white Vanderquest label stating "The Smiths" / "Best Of TV Ad" / "WEAD/SM1/999/30 Seconds". The label also shows a Vanderquest logo with contact number beneath it. The ad features excerpts of "How Soon Is Now?", "This Charming Man", "Panic" and "William, It Was Really Nothing".

UK promo counter stand 20cm x 30cm (8" x 12")
View here.

UK promo board 71cm x 81cm (28" x 32")
This promo board was sent to retail for promotion of "Best...I". It is made of heavy cardboard and shows a cut-out of the woman from the album's artwork, without the background. View here.

UK promo posters 60cm x 84cm (24" x 33")
Two different 24" x 33" posters have been seen for sale here and there. They both show the same variation on the album artwork with pink band name and white album title, but in one case the text is positioned slightly differently and there's a white box containing (what?) in the bottom left corner. Both are often found folded in eight. It is not known whether or not either of these is official.

UK advert 30cm x 40cm (12" x 16")
View here. This also exists as a (slightly smaller?) glossy magazine advert.

UK promo flat
The existence of a 12" x 12" promo flat has been reported, but information is needed. The flat may be 2-sided with one of its sides pink with a lot of black text (track listing, etc).

UK in-house cassette [WEA Smiths8/C]
This in-house reference cassette features the same material as the final album. The insert is a generic white Tape-to-Tape one. It has the track listing printed on the front (first 7 tracks) and the first panel (final 7 tracks). The band name and title are printed at the top and on the spine. A shiny silver WEA logo is found on the front and on the spine. The cassette itself is made of clear plastic with just a "The Smiths - Best...1" sticker at the top on each side.

Uruguay CS [WEA 61078-4]
The front of this likely unlicensed edition shows the cd artwork over a pink background. The spine is pink with black text. The back is white with track listing printed in black. The insert has one extra panel featuring track listing and credits. The cassette is made of white plastic. It has white labels with black track listing and blue logos and credits.

USA CD [Sire/Reprise 9 45042-2]
The American edition of the album features the Morrissey-designed artwork (view front and back from left menu). As for the international/European edition, the back features a closeup of a detail from the front artwork above a stripe with credits. The detail in this case is James Dean's hand, tinted yellow, and the credits stripe at the bottom is also yellow. The design of the booklet also parallels that of the international WEA edition but in different colours. It opens on a blank grey page, then credits are given on the opposite page in black and white. Lyrics follow in black and white and the reverse of the back page is used to advertise "Best...II". The back of the booklet shows the same closeup of James Dean's hand that is seen on the back of the cd tray inlay, but it is tinted purple. The typeset on the cd surface is the same as on the European cd but the text is blue and "The Smiths" is white over plain silver.

USA CD [Columbia House W2 45042; record club edition]
The back has no barcode. Information on how this record club edition otherwise differs from the standard retail edition is needed.

USA CD [BMG Direct D124868; record club edition]
The BMG record club edition differs from the standard retail cd in only three places: the back insert, the disc and the back of the booklet. The barcode on the back insert was removed and the white box where it was found was filled with the BMG Direct catalogue number and a BMG Direct credit. These catalogue number and credit were also added on the disc beneath the 6-line block of copyright on the right. The BMG Direct catalogue number was also added in a pale blue typewriter-like font in the bottom left corner on the back of the booklet.

USA cassette [Sire/Reprise 9 45042-4]
The Morrissey-designed artwork was adapted for the cassette format (view in left menu). As for the compact disc edition, the design of the packaging parallels that of the European edition, but in different colours. The spine and back are mustard yellow with purple/blue text. The back shows a track listing, barcode and label credits. The insert unfolds into four additional panels. The first two show a yellow tinted close-up of James Dean's hand from the front artwork, with track listing and credits printed over it in purple/blue. The next two panels feature the lyrics to the album's first four songs, in black over white. The reverse of the insert features the rest of the lyrics in black and white and a greyscale advertisement for "Best...II" (its track listing and part of the artwork). Information about the cassette itself is needed.

USA cd longbox
Until about 1993, compact discs were sold in the USA in tall picture boxes. Many were destroyed after purchase, but some were salvaged and ended up in fans collections. These featured their own variation/cropping of the album's artwork. In the case of "Best...I", the lower two-thirds of the front shows an uncropped version of the Richard Davalos image, with the album title and band name at the top in mustard yellow over purple (view in left menu; better image needed; back image also needed). Information on the back artwork is needed.