# Is "Experience" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Experience by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 2000) is identified by: Black boards, spine lettered in silver/gilt; full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket with its printed price. UK Jonathan Cape (published May 2000) precedes the US Talk Miramax/Hyperion edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Black boards, spine lettered in silver/gilt; full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket with its printed price
- Won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Black boards, spine lettered in silver/gilt; full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket with its printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Memoir. Black boards, spine lettered in silver/gilt; full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket with its printed price. Won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for biography.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape (published May 2000) precedes the US Talk Miramax/Hyperion edition. Cape is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions state the impression number on the copyright page; the first prints a full descending number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Experience* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/experience
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.