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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Nutshell by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 2016) is identified by: Jonathan Cape hardcover (ISBN 9781911214335), published September 1, 2016. The UK Cape edition (2016) precedes the US Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Jonathan Cape hardcover (ISBN 9781911214335), published September 1, 2016
- Pale pink cloth boards with black spine titling and red endpapers; copyright page with a full number line ending in 1 and no impression statement
- The first-state pictorial jacket reproduces a Leonardo da Vinci drawing of a foetus/baby on the front panel and retains its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Jonathan Cape hardcover (ISBN 9781911214335), published September 1, 2016 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Jonathan Cape hardcover (ISBN 9781911214335), published September 1, 2016. Pale pink cloth boards with black spine titling and red endpapers; copyright page with a full number line ending in 1 and no impression statement. The first-state pictorial jacket reproduces a Leonardo da Vinci drawing of a foetus/baby on the front panel and retains its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Cape edition (2016) precedes the US Nan A. Talese / Doubleday edition (2016). A separate signed limited edition of 75 copies, quarter-bound in Harmatan leather with patterned sides and housed in a matching slipcase, was issued alongside the trade first and should not be confused with it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions state the impression number and no longer show the number line ending in 1.

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