# Is "Koba the Dread: Laughter and the Twenty Million" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Koba the Dread: Laughter and the Twenty Million by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 2002) is identified by: Non-fiction, octavo, pp. UK Jonathan Cape (2002) and US Talk Miramax (2002) appeared the same year, with Cape generally taken as the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Non-fiction, octavo, pp. viii, 306, with four plates of half-tone illustrations printed recto and verso
- Original black boards, spine lettered in silver with the publisher's device in silver, dark-blue endpapers; printed by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc for Jonathan Cape
- Full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket retaining its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Non-fiction, octavo, pp. viii, 306, with four plates of half-tone illustrations printed recto and verso |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Non-fiction, octavo, pp. viii, 306, with four plates of half-tone illustrations printed recto and verso. Original black boards, spine lettered in silver with the publisher's device in silver, dark-blue endpapers; printed by Clays Ltd, St Ives plc for Jonathan Cape. Full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; dust jacket retaining its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape (2002) and US Talk Miramax (2002) appeared the same year, with Cape generally taken as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions state the impression number; the first prints a full descending number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Koba the Dread: Laughter and the Twenty Million* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/koba-the-dread-laughter-and-the-twenty-million
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.