# Is "In Between the Sheets" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of In Between the Sheets by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 1978) is identified by: Full title 'In Between the Sheets, and Other Stories'. UK Cape (1978) precedes the US Simon and Schuster edition (1979).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Full title 'In Between the Sheets, and Other Stories'
- Cloth-backed boards, gilt spine; copyright page reads 'First published 1978' with no statement of later impression
- First-issue dust jacket priced 3.50 net on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1978 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Full title 'In Between the Sheets, and Other Stories' |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Full title 'In Between the Sheets, and Other Stories'. Cloth-backed boards, gilt spine; copyright page reads 'First published 1978' with no statement of later impression. First-issue dust jacket priced 3.50 net on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1978) precedes the US Simon and Schuster edition (1979). McEwan's second short-story collection (seven stories).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add an impression statement or number; paperbacks are later issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *In Between the Sheets* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/in-between-the-sheets
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.