# Is "Casino Royale" by Ian Fleming a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Casino Royale by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1953) is identified by: True first is the 1953 Jonathan Cape UK hardcover — the first James Bond and the scarcest Cape Bond first, a single first impression of 4,728 copies. The UK Jonathan Cape hardcover (1953) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the 1953 Jonathan Cape UK hardcover — the first James Bond and the scarcest Cape Bond first, a single first impression of 4,728 copies
- First-impression points: the copyright page reads 'First published 1953' with no further printing or edition statement (second and later impressions are so stated there); black paper-covered boards with a red heart device to the front board and red titling to the spine; fore-edges rough-cut as issued
- Dust jacket with its printed price at the head of the front flap (price present/unclipped on an unclipped copy)
- Crucially, the first impression appears in two jacket states: no more than about 3,000 copies in the first-state jacket (no review on the flap), the remainder of the same impression in the second-state jacket carrying a Sunday Times review overprinted on the front flap
- Both belong to the first impression — a review on the flap does NOT make a copy a later printing; impression is determined by the copyright page
- The second printing's jacket adds 'The Author' beneath Fleming's rear-panel photograph
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Fleming |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1953 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the 1953 Jonathan Cape UK hardcover — the first James Bond and the scarcest Cape Bond first, a single first impression of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the 1953 Jonathan Cape UK hardcover — the first James Bond and the scarcest Cape Bond first, a single first impression of 4,728 copies. First-impression points: the copyright page reads 'First published 1953' with no further printing or edition statement (second and later impressions are so stated there); black paper-covered boards with a red heart device to the front board and red titling to the spine; fore-edges rough-cut as issued. Dust jacket with its printed price at the head of the front flap (price present/unclipped on an unclipped copy). Crucially, the first impression appears in two jacket states: no more than about 3,000 copies in the first-state jacket (no review on the flap), the remainder of the same impression in the second-state jacket carrying a Sunday Times review overprinted on the front flap. Both belong to the first impression — a review on the flap does NOT make a copy a later printing; impression is determined by the copyright page. The second printing's jacket adds 'The Author' beneath Fleming's rear-panel photograph. (Gilbert A1a.)

## Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape hardcover (1953) is the true first. Separately collected later appearances, none preceding it: the first US hardcover was Macmillan (1954, dark green cloth), and the first US paperback was Popular Library, retitled 'You Asked for It' (1955) — the retitling flags the US paperback reprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Tell the first impression from the 1953 second and 1954 third impressions by the copyright-page printing statement (the first impression carries none). Do NOT treat the Sunday Times review on the jacket flap as a printing indicator — it appears on second-state jackets of the first impression. The 'You Asked for It' title marks the US Popular Library paperback; book-club and reprint copies carry their own imprints and lack the printed price Cape jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Casino Royale* by Ian Fleming a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/casino-royale
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.