# Is "London Fields" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of London Fields by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1989) is identified by: Stated 'First published 1989'; Jonathan Cape, London, in original grey cloth with gilt spine lettering and grey endpapers, 470 pages. UK Cape (1989) is the true first; the US first edition followed from Harmony Books, New York (catalogued by various dealers as 1989 or 1990).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First published 1989'
- Jonathan Cape, London, in original grey cloth with gilt spine lettering and grey endpapers, 470 pages
- First-state dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap
- A signed limited edition of 150 numbered copies, specially bound in quarter blue cloth over marbled boards with a glassine wrapper, was issued separately and is collected apart from the trade first
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First published 1989' |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First published 1989'; Jonathan Cape, London, in original grey cloth with gilt spine lettering and grey endpapers, 470 pages. First-state dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap. A signed limited edition of 150 numbered copies, specially bound in quarter blue cloth over marbled boards with a glassine wrapper, was issued separately and is collected apart from the trade first.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1989) is the true first; the US first edition followed from Harmony Books, New York (catalogued by various dealers as 1989 or 1990). The UK edition precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club edition concern; uncorrected proofs are a distinct collectible state, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *London Fields* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/london-fields
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.