# Is "Colonel Sun (as Robert Markham)" by Kingsley Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Colonel Sun (as Robert Markham) by Kingsley Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1968) is identified by: The first James Bond continuation novel after Ian Fleming's death, published pseudonymously as by 'Robert Markham' (Kingsley Amis). UK Jonathan Cape (London), March 1968, is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first James Bond continuation novel after Ian Fleming's death, published pseudonymously as by 'Robert Markham' (Kingsley Amis)
- The true first is Jonathan Cape, London, 1968: original full black cloth with gilt spine lettering, 255 pp, the copyright leaf carrying the Cape 'First published 1968' statement with no later-printing line
- The original dust jacket is illustrated by Tom Adams, with the price present at the front flap (unclipped on a first-issue jacket)
- The near-simultaneous US Harper & Row 1968 edition is bound differently — black cloth over yellow boards, stamped gilt — which distinguishes it from the full-black-cloth Cape first; both share Tom Adams jacket art
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Kingsley Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1968 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first James Bond continuation novel after Ian Fleming's death, published pseudonymously as by 'Robert Markham' (Kingsley Amis) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first James Bond continuation novel after Ian Fleming's death, published pseudonymously as by 'Robert Markham' (Kingsley Amis). The true first is Jonathan Cape, London, 1968: original full black cloth with gilt spine lettering, 255 pp, the copyright leaf carrying the Cape 'First published 1968' statement with no later-printing line. The original dust jacket is illustrated by Tom Adams, with the price present at the front flap (unclipped on a first-issue jacket). The near-simultaneous US Harper & Row 1968 edition is bound differently — black cloth over yellow boards, stamped gilt — which distinguishes it from the full-black-cloth Cape first; both share Tom Adams jacket art.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape (London), March 1968, is the true first. Harper & Row (New York) issued the first American edition the same year, 1968 (quarter black cloth over yellow boards); it is separately collected but does not have priority. Both appear under the 'Robert Markham' pseudonym.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later book-club and paperback reprints exist; a Cape first shows 'First published 1968' with no book-club or reprint statement and retains the priced Tom Adams jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Colonel Sun (as Robert Markham)* by Kingsley Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/colonel-sun-as-robert-markham
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.