# Is "Flesh" by David Szalay a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Flesh by David Szalay (Jonathan Cape, 2025) is identified by: First UK edition, Jonathan Cape 2025, with 'First published by Jonathan Cape 2025' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket, first-state jacket without a Booker band. The UK Cape edition is the true first; the US Scribner edition (1 April 2025) and the Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition followed in the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Jonathan Cape 2025, with 'First published by Jonathan Cape 2025' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket, first-state jacket without a Booker band
- The US Scribner edition appeared 1 April 2025; a Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition also appeared in 2025
- 2025 Booker winner, announced 10 November 2025
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | David Szalay |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2025 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Jonathan Cape 2025, with 'First published by Jonathan Cape 2025' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Jonathan Cape 2025, with 'First published by Jonathan Cape 2025' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket, first-state jacket without a Booker band. The US Scribner edition appeared 1 April 2025; a Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition also appeared in 2025. 2025 Booker winner, announced 10 November 2025.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Cape edition is the true first; the US Scribner edition (1 April 2025) and the Canadian McClelland & Stewart edition followed in the same year. As a very recent title, first printings remain readily available; the most desirable copies have first-state jackets without a Booker band and a number line ending in 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Scribner and Canadian McClelland & Stewart editions are distinguished by imprint; later UK printings add a Booker band. The first is told by the number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Flesh* by David Szalay a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/flesh
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.