The points of issue
Octavo in original pink tweed cloth, the backstrip blocked in brown and lettered in gilt, in the John Minton illustrated dust wrapper (coloured Mediterranean bay and table scene, plus black-and-white Minton decorations within). The jacket is priced 10s 6d net on the front flap, as called for. David's first book.
Is this the true first?
The UK John Lehmann 1950 edition is the true first. The revised illustrated Macdonald edition of 1955 and the Penguin paperback of 1955, with a new Minton cover, are later first-thus forms. There was no simultaneous US edition; later American printings are subordinate.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Penguin paperbacks and later Macdonald and Dorling Kindersley reissues are reprints or revisions, not the 1950 first. The fragile Minton jacket, correctly priced 10s 6d net, is the key identification and condition point; rebound or jacketless copies are markedly less collectible.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Book of Mediterranean Food a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Octavo in original pink tweed cloth, the backstrip blocked in brown and lettered in gilt, in the John Minton illustrated dust wrapper (coloured Mediterranean bay and table scene, plus black-and-white Minton decorations within). The jacket is priced 10s 6d net on the front flap, as called for. David's first book.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The UK John Lehmann 1950 edition is the true first. The revised illustrated Macdonald edition of 1955 and the Penguin paperback of 1955, with a new Minton cover, are later first-thus forms. There was no simultaneous US edition; later American printings are subordinate.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Penguin paperbacks and later Macdonald and Dorling Kindersley reissues are reprints or revisions, not the 1950 first. The fragile Minton jacket, correctly priced 10s 6d net, is the key identification and condition point; rebound or jacketless copies are markedly less collectible.
I have a first edition of A Book of Mediterranean Food — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.