# Is "Lessons" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lessons by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 2022) is identified by: Novel issued in hardcover boards with a gilt-lettered spine and dust jacket. UK Cape (September 2022) is the first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Novel issued in hardcover boards with a gilt-lettered spine and dust jacket
- First-printing copies of the Jonathan Cape edition carry the publisher's odd-then-even number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page, with no separate impression statement
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price on the flap
- Later impressions are distinguished by an added reprint/impression statement rather than by a change to the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2022 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Novel issued in hardcover boards with a gilt-lettered spine and dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Novel issued in hardcover boards with a gilt-lettered spine and dust jacket. First-printing copies of the Jonathan Cape edition carry the publisher's odd-then-even number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 on the copyright page, with no separate impression statement. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price on the flap. Later impressions are distinguished by an added reprint/impression statement rather than by a change to the number line.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (September 2022) is the first. Knopf Canada published simultaneously and US Knopf followed on 13 September 2022, so the Cape edition is the recognized true first. The Cape first is confirmed by the 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 number line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified by an added impression statement on the copyright page; the first impression shows the complete 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 line with no such notice.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lessons* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lessons
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.