# Is "The Famished Road" by Ben Okri a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Famished Road by Ben Okri (Jonathan Cape, 1991) is identified by: First UK edition, Jonathan Cape (London) 1991, stating 'First published 1991'. UK Cape 1991 is the true first; the US edition (Nan A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Jonathan Cape (London) 1991, stating 'First published 1991'
- Olive/green cloth with gilt spine lettering in a pictorial dust jacket priced 13.the printed price (an unclipped jacket retaining the price is preferred)
- 1991 Booker Prize winner
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ben Okri |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Jonathan Cape (London) 1991, stating 'First published 1991' |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Jonathan Cape (London) 1991, stating 'First published 1991'. Olive/green cloth with gilt spine lettering in a pictorial dust jacket priced 13.the printed price (an unclipped jacket retaining the price is preferred). 1991 Booker Prize winner.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape 1991 is the true first; the US edition (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday, New York) 1992 followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club edition of note. The US edition is later and US-priced.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Famished Road* by Ben Okri a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-famished-road
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.