# Is "Amsterdam" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Amsterdam by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 1998) is identified by: London: Jonathan Cape, 1 December 1998. UK Jonathan Cape (1998) is the true first, preceding the US Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Jonathan Cape, 1 December 1998
- Booker Prize winner
- Bound in original black cloth boards with the title lettered in silver to the spine, crimson endpapers (not gilt-lettered boards)
- A number line ending in 1 on the copyright page indicates the first printing
- The first-state dust jacket is with its printed price and does NOT mention the Booker Prize on the front panel, since the win was announced after publication; later-state jackets add the Booker reference
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Jonathan Cape, 1 December 1998 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Jonathan Cape, 1 December 1998. Booker Prize winner. Bound in original black cloth boards with the title lettered in silver to the spine, crimson endpapers (not gilt-lettered boards). A number line ending in 1 on the copyright page indicates the first printing. The first-state dust jacket is with its printed price and does NOT mention the Booker Prize on the front panel, since the win was announced after publication; later-state jackets add the Booker reference.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape (1998) is the true first, preceding the US Nan A. Talese/Doubleday (1998).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 1 from the number line; later-state jackets add the Booker Prize mention.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Amsterdam* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/amsterdam
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.