# Is "From Russia, with Love" by Ian Fleming a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of From Russia, with Love by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1957) is identified by: Jonathan Cape UK first, 1957. UK Cape 1957 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition (1957).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Jonathan Cape UK first, 1957
- Black cloth; the first-issue dust jacket was designed by Richard Chopping (the trompe-l'oeil gun-and-rose painting) — the jacket is integral to value
- Dust jacket with its printed price Copyright page with no later-impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Fleming |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1957 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Jonathan Cape UK first, 1957 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Jonathan Cape UK first, 1957. Black cloth; the first-issue dust jacket was designed by Richard Chopping (the trompe-l'oeil gun-and-rose painting) — the jacket is integral to value. Dust jacket with its printed price Copyright page with no later-impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape 1957 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan edition (1957). The Chopping jacket first issue is the collected copy; signed copies are very valuable.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Macmillan and later Cape impressions are separate/later. Confirm earliest issue by the first-state Chopping jacket (the printed price) and absence of impression statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *From Russia, with Love* by Ian Fleming a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/from-russia-with-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.