# Is "Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder" by Salman Rushdie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie (Jonathan Cape, 2024) is identified by: Memoir in boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain its printed price on the flap. The UK Jonathan Cape edition (ISBN 9781787334793) and the US Random House edition (ISBN 9780593730249) were near-simultaneous in April 2024.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Memoir in boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain its printed price on the flap
- The first printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- UK Jonathan Cape edition, ISBN 9781787334793, published April 2024
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2024 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Memoir in boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain its printed price on the flap |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Memoir in boards with gilt spine lettering, issued in the original pictorial dust jacket, which should retain its printed price on the flap. The first printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. UK Jonathan Cape edition, ISBN 9781787334793, published April 2024.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape edition (ISBN 9781787334793) and the US Random House edition (ISBN 9780593730249) were near-simultaneous in April 2024. The Cape printing, distinguished by its own ISBN and full number line ending in 1, is the standard UK first; the two are distinct printings rather than a shared setting.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are identified by an altered number line no longer ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder* by Salman Rushdie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/knife-meditations-after-an-attempted-murder
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.