# Is "Dead Babies" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Dead Babies by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1975) is identified by: London: Jonathan Cape, 1975. UK Cape (1975) is the true first; the US first edition followed from Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- London: Jonathan Cape, 1975
- Stated 'First published 1975' on the copyright page
- Octavo, 254 pp., bound in the publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in the first-state dust jacket designed by Craig Dodd (a striking 1970s design) retaining the printed net price on the front flap
- The light-sensitive colours on the spine panel are prone to fading, so bright unfaded spines are scarce
- Amis's second novel
- The text was retitled 'Dark Secrets' for the 1977 Triad/Panther paperback
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1975 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | London: Jonathan Cape, 1975 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
London: Jonathan Cape, 1975. Stated 'First published 1975' on the copyright page. Octavo, 254 pp., bound in the publisher's black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, in the first-state dust jacket designed by Craig Dodd (a striking 1970s design) retaining the printed net price on the front flap. The light-sensitive colours on the spine panel are prone to fading, so bright unfaded spines are scarce. Amis's second novel. The text was retitled 'Dark Secrets' for the 1977 Triad/Panther paperback.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1975) is the true first; the US first edition followed from Alfred A. Knopf in 1976 (blue boards with yellow cloth spine, red top edge). The retitled 'Dark Secrets' paperback is not a first edition of the text.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Paperback retitlings (Dark Secrets) are reprints, not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Dead Babies* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/dead-babies
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.