# Is "Burger's Daughter" by Nadine Gordimer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Burger's Daughter by Nadine Gordimer (Jonathan Cape, 1979) is identified by: First edition, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979 (published June 1979). Jonathan Cape, London, June 1979 is the true first edition; the US Viking Press hardcover follows in October 1979.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979 (published June 1979)
- Bound in cloth over papered boards with gilt lettering to the spine, in a dust jacket that on a first-issue copy retains the printed price to the flap (unclipped); the true first carries no printing statement
- Banned in South Africa on publication
- The Cape hardcover precedes the US Viking edition of October 1979
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Nadine Gordimer |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1979 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979 (published June 1979) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, Jonathan Cape, London, 1979 (published June 1979). Bound in cloth over papered boards with gilt lettering to the spine, in a dust jacket that on a first-issue copy retains the printed price to the flap (unclipped); the true first carries no printing statement. Banned in South Africa on publication. The Cape hardcover precedes the US Viking edition of October 1979.

## Is this the true first?
Jonathan Cape, London, June 1979 is the true first edition; the US Viking Press hardcover follows in October 1979.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Viking US (October 1979) and the later UK Penguin paperback (November 1980) are reprints, not the first appearance.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Burger's Daughter* by Nadine Gordimer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/burgers-daughter
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.