# Is "Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler (Jonathan Cape, 1940) is identified by: First edition: Jonathan Cape, London, 1940, an octavo in cloth and dust jacket, first impression without a later-printing notice; wartime paper and binding. The UK Cape 1940 edition is the true first published text.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition: Jonathan Cape, London, 1940, an octavo in cloth and dust jacket, first impression without a later-printing notice; wartime paper and binding
- Translated from Koestler's German by Daphne Hardy
- Because the original German manuscript was lost during the 1940 flight from France, this English translation was the first form of the text to be published
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur Koestler |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1940 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition: Jonathan Cape, London, 1940, an octavo in cloth and dust jacket, first impression without a later-printing notice; wartime… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition: Jonathan Cape, London, 1940, an octavo in cloth and dust jacket, first impression without a later-printing notice; wartime paper and binding. Translated from Koestler's German by Daphne Hardy. Because the original German manuscript was lost during the 1940 flight from France, this English translation was the first form of the text to be published.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Cape 1940 edition is the true first published text. The German original, 'Sonnenfinsternis', was not published until 1946. The US Macmillan edition (1941) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Macmillan first and later Cape printings are later or separate issues. The 1940 Cape edition with the Hardy translation is the genuine first published form.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Darkness at Noon* by Arthur Koestler a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/darkness-at-noon
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.