The points of issue
First UK edition published 1970 by Jonathan Cape, hardcover in black cloth boards lettered in gilt, top edge stained pink, with the dust jacket based on a Salvador Dali image. This is the true first.
Is this the true first?
The Cape 1970 edition is the true first. A US Doubleday edition was printed the same year but personally cancelled and pulped by Nelson Doubleday Jr. before release for fear of libel; the surviving US issue is the retitled Grove Press 'Love and Napalm: Export U.S.A.' (1972), a distinct, later, non-first state.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The retitled US Grove edition is a separate, non-first state, not a book-club issue.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Atrocity Exhibition a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First UK edition published 1970 by Jonathan Cape, hardcover in black cloth boards lettered in gilt, top edge stained pink, with the dust jacket based on a Salvador Dali image. This is the true first.
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. The Cape 1970 edition is the true first. A US Doubleday edition was printed the same year but personally cancelled and pulped by Nelson Doubleday Jr. before release for fear of libel; the surviving US issue is the retitled Grove Press 'Love and Napalm: Export U.S.A.' (1972), a distinct, later, non-f
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The retitled US Grove edition is a separate, non-first state, not a book-club issue.
I have a first edition of The Atrocity Exhibition — 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.