# Is "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (Sceptre, 2004) is identified by: Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2004, ISBN 0-340-82277-5 (9780340822777). REVERSE PRECEDENCE — UK precedes US here.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2004, ISBN 0-340-82277-5
- First printing has the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Bound in publisher's maroon cloth, the spine blocked in turquoise foil, with green decorative endpapers
- The dust jacket, designed by Kai and Sunny, is a priced, unclipped jacket with the printed price present at the front flap; a first-state copy retains the scarce original wrap-around promotional band
- Confirm the number line ending in 1, the maroon cloth with turquoise-foil spine, and the priced (unclipped) jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Sceptre
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Mitchell |
| Publisher | Sceptre |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2004, ISBN 0-340-82277-5 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Sceptre (Hodder & Stoughton), London, 2004, ISBN 0-340-82277-5 (9780340822777). First printing has the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 ending in 1 on the copyright page. Bound in publisher's maroon cloth, the spine blocked in turquoise foil, with green decorative endpapers. The dust jacket, designed by Kai and Sunny, is a priced, unclipped jacket with the printed price present at the front flap; a first-state copy retains the scarce original wrap-around promotional band. Confirm the number line ending in 1, the maroon cloth with turquoise-foil spine, and the priced (unclipped) jacket.

## Is this the true first?
REVERSE PRECEDENCE — UK precedes US here. Sceptre, London, 2004 is the true first. The first US edition (Random House, August 2004, ISBN 9780375507250) followed and, importantly for collectors, is a trade-paperback original with French flaps: Random House issued no US hardcover, so there is no 'US hardcover first.' Shortlisted for the 2004 Man Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A number line not ending in 1 indicates a later printing. The US first carries the Random House imprint and is a softcover (French-flap trade paperback), not a hardcover. Film-tie-in and book-club editions are distinct and lack the maroon-cloth/turquoise-foil binding and the full 10-to-1 number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cloud Atlas* by David Mitchell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cloud-atlas
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.