# Is "Live and Let Die" by Ian Fleming a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Live and Let Die by Ian Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1954) is identified by: Jonathan Cape UK first, 1954. UK Cape 1954 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan 1955.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Jonathan Cape UK first, 1954
- Black cloth, front cover device blocked; dust jacket with its printed price First-state jacket has the original blurb without later review quotes
- Copyright page with no later-impression statement
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian Fleming |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1954 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Jonathan Cape UK first, 1954 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Jonathan Cape UK first, 1954. Black cloth, front cover device blocked; dust jacket with its printed price First-state jacket has the original blurb without later review quotes. Copyright page with no later-impression statement.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape 1954 is the true first, preceding the US Macmillan 1955. Second James Bond novel; UK first is the desirable copy.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US Macmillan and later Cape impressions are separate/later. Confirm earliest issue by jacket state and absence of impression statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Live and Let Die* by Ian Fleming a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/live-and-let-die
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.