# Is "England, England" by Julian Barnes a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of England, England by Julian Barnes (Jonathan Cape, 1998) is identified by: Novel issued by Cape in cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; copyright page reads First published 1998 with the Cape number line counting down to 1. UK Cape (1998) precedes the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Novel issued by Cape in cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; copyright page reads First published 1998 with the Cape number line counting down to 1
- The first-issue jacket notes the title was shortlisted for the 1998 Booker Prize
- ISBN 0 224 05275 6
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Julian Barnes |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Novel issued by Cape in cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; copyright page reads First published 1998 with the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Novel issued by Cape in cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering and a dust jacket; copyright page reads First published 1998 with the Cape number line counting down to 1. The first-issue jacket notes the title was shortlisted for the 1998 Booker Prize. ISBN 0 224 05275 6.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1998) precedes the US Alfred A. Knopf edition (1999).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions remove the 1 from the number line; book-club copies lack the publisher number line and price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *England, England* by Julian Barnes a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/england-england
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.