# Is "Foe" by J. M. Coetzee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Foe by J. M. Coetzee (Ravan Press, 1986) is identified by: Two 1986 editions exist and priority is contested. Priority is contested between two 1986 editions; many specialists give the South African Ravan Press 1986 edition priority as the true first over the UK Secker & Warburg 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Two 1986 editions exist and priority is contested
- The South African edition - Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1986 (dark brown cloth, gilt-stamped spine, dust jacket, about 157 pages) - is identified by many specialist dealers as the true first edition
- The UK trade edition (Secker & Warburg, London, 1986) appeared the same year: brown boards/cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering, green top-stain as issued, octavo, about 157-160 pages, pictorial dust jacket priced in sterling and unclipped on first issue
- Standard bibliographies list the title as London: Secker & Warburg, 1986
- Johannesburg: Ravan, 1986
- New York: Viking, 1987
- Publisher imprint reads Ravan Press

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | J. M. Coetzee |
| Publisher | Ravan Press |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Two 1986 editions exist and priority is contested |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Two 1986 editions exist and priority is contested. The South African edition - Ravan Press, Johannesburg, 1986 (dark brown cloth, gilt-stamped spine, dust jacket, about 157 pages) - is identified by many specialist dealers as the true first edition. The UK trade edition (Secker & Warburg, London, 1986) appeared the same year: brown boards/cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering, green top-stain as issued, octavo, about 157-160 pages, pictorial dust jacket priced in sterling and unclipped on first issue. Standard bibliographies list the title as London: Secker & Warburg, 1986; Johannesburg: Ravan, 1986; New York: Viking, 1987. Both 1986 editions precede the US Viking edition of 1987.

## Is this the true first?
Priority is contested between two 1986 editions; many specialists give the South African Ravan Press 1986 edition priority as the true first over the UK Secker & Warburg 1986. The US Viking edition is 1987 and later. A reworking of Robinson Crusoe.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No club edition; risks are the later US Viking 1987 printing offered as a first, and assuming UK Secker is automatically the true first when the Ravan SA 1986 has a strong claim to priority.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Foe* by J. M. Coetzee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/foe
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.