Is My In Patagonia a First Edition?

The points of issue

• First published by Jonathan Cape, London, in 1977; the jacket states 'First published 1977' and the first impression carries no later impression line on the verso
• Octavo, 204 pages, with a map frontispiece and 14 full- and half-page photographs
• The first issue has blue-and-white map endpapers — the point most consistently cited by independent dealers for this title — in publisher's navy blue cloth-effect paper-covered boards with gilt titling to the spine
• The jacket bears a wrap-around photograph of the Moreno glacier and carries the price present at the flap; its colours are fugitive and the spine panel is very commonly faded, so an unfaded jacket is an exceptional survival rather than a separate issue

How Jonathan Cape marked a first edition

• First printings state "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page with NO additional impression lines and traditionally NO number line
• Later printings noted by added lines (e.g. 'Second impression [year]', 'Reprinted...') — their presence disqualifies a first

Full Jonathan Cape first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the American true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Jonathan Cape (London), 1977, is the true first, and the census claim is correct on precedence; Summit Books (New York) published the first American edition, and both are collected. The American date is unsettled in the sources consulted — most listings give Summit 1977, with James Cummins Bookseller (ABAA) bracketing it '[1977]', indicating an inferred rather than a printed date, while other listings give 1978 — so the census's 'US Summit 1978' should not be relied on as stated. An advance uncorrected proof of the Cape edition exists in peach wraps printed in black, and is recorded as scarcer than the American proof.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition is documented in the sources consulted. The trap for this title is a later Cape impression retaining the 1977 title-page date, separated by the impression statement on the verso; the map endpapers should be checked alongside it, since dealers treat plain endpapers as a later-issue tell.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of In Patagonia a first edition?

A first edition of In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin (Jonathan Cape) is identified by: First published by Jonathan Cape, London, in 1977; the jacket states 'First published 1977' and the first impression carries no later impression line on the verso.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. Jonathan Cape (London), 1977, is the true first, and the census claim is correct on precedence; Summit Books (New York) published the first American edition, and both are collected.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition is documented in the sources consulted. The trap for this title is a later Cape impression retaining the 1977 title-page date, separated by the impression statement on the verso; the map endpapers should be checked alongside it, since dealers treat plain endpapers as a later-issue tell.

I have a first edition of In Patagonia — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.