# Is "The Collector" by John Fowles a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Collector by John Fowles (Jonathan Cape, 1963) is identified by: Cape's first impression is bound in rust/orange cloth lettered in gilt on the spine with a matching top stain; a very small number of copies were bound in black, and precedence between the two bindings has not been established (one dealer asserts the black binding came first — treat the point as disputed). Jonathan Cape (London) 1963 is the true first and precedes the first American edition from Little, Brown (Boston), also 1963.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cape's first impression is bound in rust/orange cloth lettered in gilt on the spine with a matching top stain; a very small number of copies were bound in black, and precedence between the two bindings has not been established (one dealer asserts the black binding came first — treat the point as disputed)
- The first-issue dust jacket, illustrated by Tom Adams, carries no reviews on the rear panel; jackets printing reviews are later (one dealer questions whether any "reviews" jacket exists on true first impressions at all)
- A priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the flap) is called for
- Octavo, 283 pp.; the author's first book
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Fowles |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1963 |
| True first | American edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cape's first impression is bound in rust/orange cloth lettered in gilt on the spine with a matching top stain; a very small number of… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cape's first impression is bound in rust/orange cloth lettered in gilt on the spine with a matching top stain; a very small number of copies were bound in black, and precedence between the two bindings has not been established (one dealer asserts the black binding came first — treat the point as disputed). The first-issue dust jacket, illustrated by Tom Adams, carries no reviews on the rear panel; jackets printing reviews are later (one dealer questions whether any "reviews" jacket exists on true first impressions at all). A priced, unclipped jacket (price present at the flap) is called for. Octavo, 283 pp.; the author's first book.

## Is this the true first?
Jonathan Cape (London) 1963 is the true first and precedes the first American edition from Little, Brown (Boston), also 1963. Both are collected; the Cape edition has precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later-issue Cape jackets add reviews to the rear panel. No specific book-club points were documented in the sources consulted.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Collector* by John Fowles a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-collector
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.