# Is "The Child in Time" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Child in Time by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 1987) is identified by: Boards with gilt spine titling; copyright page reads 'First published 1987' (Cape used a printed first-published statement, not a number line); pictorial dust jacket using a detail from Leonardo's 'Virgin and Child with St Anne'. UK Cape (1987) precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (1987); the US printing is a separate first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Boards with gilt spine titling; copyright page reads 'First published 1987' (Cape used a printed first-published statement, not a number line); pictorial dust jacket using a detail from Leonardo's 'Virgin and Child with St Anne'
- Whitbread Novel Award winner
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Boards with gilt spine titling; copyright page reads 'First published 1987' (Cape used a printed first-published statement, not a number… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Boards with gilt spine titling; copyright page reads 'First published 1987' (Cape used a printed first-published statement, not a number line); pictorial dust jacket using a detail from Leonardo's 'Virgin and Child with St Anne'. Whitbread Novel Award winner.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1987) precedes the US Houghton Mifflin edition (1987); the US printing is a separate first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions add an impression statement; the US edition is a distinct issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Child in Time* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-child-in-time
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.