# Is "Lionel Asbo: State of England" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lionel Asbo: State of England by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 2012) is identified by: UK Jonathan Cape hardcover, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1), in boards with gilt-lettered spine and the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the original first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price. UK Jonathan Cape edition (2012, ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1) is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Jonathan Cape hardcover, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1), in boards with gilt-lettered spine and the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the original first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price
- Presence of the '1' in the number line, with no later-impression statement, confirms the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Jonathan Cape hardcover, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1), in boards with gilt-lettered spine and the full descending number line ending in… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Jonathan Cape hardcover, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1), in boards with gilt-lettered spine and the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the original first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price. Presence of the '1' in the number line, with no later-impression statement, confirms the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape edition (2012, ISBN 978-0-224-09620-1) is the true first, preceding the US Alfred A. Knopf edition (2012, ISBN 978-0-224-09621-8 for the UK trade paperback / US Knopf 9780307958088).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions remove the lower digits of the number line or add an impression statement to the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lionel Asbo: State of England* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lionel-asbo-state-of-england
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.