# Is "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 2007) is identified by: Octavo novella; black cloth with gilt spine titles and blue endpapers; copyright page states 'First published 2007' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue pictorial matt dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped. First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 2007; the US Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Octavo novella; black cloth with gilt spine titles and blue endpapers; copyright page states 'First published 2007' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue pictorial matt dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped
- Booker Prize shortlisted
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Octavo novella; black cloth with gilt spine titles and blue endpapers; copyright page states 'First published 2007' with the printer's key… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Octavo novella; black cloth with gilt spine titles and blue endpapers; copyright page states 'First published 2007' with the printer's key descending to 1; first-issue pictorial matt dust jacket carries the original UK price unclipped. Booker Prize shortlisted (2007).

## Is this the true first?
First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 2007; the US Nan A. Talese / Doubleday edition also appeared in 2007, near-simultaneously, so the Cape printing is the British first rather than a clear global precedent.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Cape impressions revise the printer's key so the lowest digit is no longer 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *On Chesil Beach* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/on-chesil-beach
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.