# Is "All the Conspirators" by Christopher Isherwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of All the Conspirators by Christopher Isherwood (Jonathan Cape, 1928) is identified by: First edition, first impression of Isherwood's first novel, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1928, in the publisher's cloth with all edges gilt. The Jonathan Cape London edition of 1928 is the true first, first impression.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression of Isherwood's first novel, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1928, in the publisher's cloth with all edges gilt
- Because the book sold poorly and many copies were remaindered, surviving copies in the original Cape cloth are scarce and are frequently encountered rebound in later leather bindings by binders such as the Chelsea Bindery or James Brockman
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Christopher Isherwood |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1928 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression of Isherwood's first novel, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1928, in the publisher's cloth with all… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression of Isherwood's first novel, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 1928, in the publisher's cloth with all edges gilt. Because the book sold poorly and many copies were remaindered, surviving copies in the original Cape cloth are scarce and are frequently encountered rebound in later leather bindings by binders such as the Chelsea Bindery or James Brockman.

## Is this the true first?
The Jonathan Cape London edition of 1928 is the true first, first impression. The first US edition did not appear until 1958, published by New Directions with a new author introduction, and is therefore not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue. The New Directions US edition of 1958 is a distinct later edition, textually reset and carrying Isherwood's added introduction.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *All the Conspirators* by Christopher Isherwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/all-the-conspirators
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.