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First-Edition Identification · Ian McEwan

Is My Nutshell a First Edition?

Jonathan Cape, 2016

The points of issue

Pink cloth boards, black spine titling, red endpapers; full number line ending in 1; typographic jacket priced £16.99 net.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Jonathan Cape first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

UK Cape (2016) precedes the US Nan A. Talese/Doubleday edition (2016).

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later impressions add/state the impression number.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Nutshell a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: Pink cloth boards, black spine titling, red endpapers; full number line ending in 1; typographic jacket priced £16.99 net.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. UK Cape (2016) precedes the US Nan A. Talese/Doubleday edition (2016).

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later impressions add/state the impression number.

I have a first edition of Nutshell — what should I do?

If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.

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