# Is "Enduring Love" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Enduring Love by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 1997) is identified by: Octavo; quarter cloth over boards (blue-grey cloth with silver spine lettering); copyright page states 'First published 1997' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped. First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 1997; the US Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Octavo; quarter cloth over boards (blue-grey cloth with silver spine lettering); copyright page states 'First published 1997' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Octavo; quarter cloth over boards (blue-grey cloth with silver spine lettering); copyright page states 'First published 1997' with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Octavo; quarter cloth over boards (blue-grey cloth with silver spine lettering); copyright page states 'First published 1997' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 1997; the US Nan A. Talese / Doubleday edition followed in 1998, so the Cape printing genuinely precedes the US edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Cape impressions revise the printer's key so the lowest digit is no longer 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Enduring Love* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/enduring-love
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.