# Is "The Cockroach" by Ian McEwan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Cockroach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 2019) is identified by: Satirical novella in publisher's hardcover boards with dust jacket. UK Cape hardcover (27 September 2019) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Satirical novella in publisher's hardcover boards with dust jacket
- First-printing copies carry the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page with no later-impression statement
- Published 27 September 2019 (ISBN 9781529112924)
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Satirical novella in publisher's hardcover boards with dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Satirical novella in publisher's hardcover boards with dust jacket. First-printing copies carry the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page with no later-impression statement. Published 27 September 2019 (ISBN 9781529112924).

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape hardcover (27 September 2019) is the true first. The US Anchor edition (October 2019) was a trade-paperback original, and Knopf Canada issued simultaneously, so the Cape hardcover precedes them.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Cockroach* by Ian McEwan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-cockroach
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.