# Is "Einstein's Monsters" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Einstein's Monsters by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1987) is identified by: Stated 'First published 1987'; issued by Jonathan Cape in boards with dust jacket, running to 127 pages. UK Cape (1987, 127 pp) is customarily taken as the true first; the US first edition appeared the same year (1987) from Harmony Books, New York, in a differently set text of 149 pages.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First published 1987'; issued by Jonathan Cape in boards with dust jacket, running to 127 pages
- A collection of five linked stories on nuclear themes, prefaced by the introductory essay 'Thinkability'
- The first-issue jacket reproduces Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting 'The Tower of Babel' and should retain the printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First published 1987'; issued by Jonathan Cape in boards with dust jacket, running to 127 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First published 1987'; issued by Jonathan Cape in boards with dust jacket, running to 127 pages. A collection of five linked stories on nuclear themes, prefaced by the introductory essay 'Thinkability'. The first-issue jacket reproduces Pieter Bruegel the Elder's painting 'The Tower of Babel' and should retain the printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1987, 127 pp) is customarily taken as the true first; the US first edition appeared the same year (1987) from Harmony Books, New York, in a differently set text of 149 pages. The Cape edition is the customary first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition concern; distinguish the UK first (Cape, 127 pp, Bruegel jacket) from the US Harmony issue by publisher, pagination and jacket art.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Einstein's Monsters* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/einsteins-monsters
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.