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

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Daydreamer by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape, 1994) is identified by: Octavo; green boards with gilt spine titles; illustrated by Anthony Browne; copyright page states 'First published 1994' with the printer's key descending to 1. First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 1994.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Octavo; green boards with gilt spine titles; illustrated by Anthony Browne; copyright page states 'First published 1994' with the printer's key descending to 1
- McEwan's first book of fiction for children
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ian McEwan |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Octavo; green boards with gilt spine titles; illustrated by Anthony Browne; copyright page states 'First published 1994' with the printer's… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Octavo; green boards with gilt spine titles; illustrated by Anthony Browne; copyright page states 'First published 1994' with the printer's key descending to 1. McEwan's first book of fiction for children.

## Is this the true first?
First published by Jonathan Cape in London in 1994. The US HarperCollins edition appeared in 1994 as a separate setting.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US HarperCollins (1994) edition was also illustrated by Anthony Browne, not by Sempé; it stands as a separate first US edition rather than a differently illustrated one. Later UK impressions revise the printer's key.

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