# Is "Goldfinger" by Ian Fleming a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Goldfinger by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1959) is identified by: Jonathan Cape UK first, 1959. UK Cape 1959 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan 1959.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Jonathan Cape UK first, 1959
- Black cloth boards with a gilt/blind-stamped skull device with coin-filled eye sockets on the front cover (a noted binding point)
- Dust jacket with its printed price No later-impression statement on copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Fleming |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1959 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Jonathan Cape UK first, 1959 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Jonathan Cape UK first, 1959. Black cloth boards with a gilt/blind-stamped skull device with coin-filled eye sockets on the front cover (a noted binding point). Dust jacket with its printed price No later-impression statement on copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape 1959 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan 1959. The skull-with-coins binding device is the recognizable first-edition point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Macmillan and later Cape impressions are later. Book-club editions lack the gilt device quality and carry club imprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Goldfinger* by Ian Fleming a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/goldfinger
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.