# Is "The Fifth Child" by Doris Lessing a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing (Jonathan Cape, 1988) is identified by: First published 1988 by Jonathan Cape, London, ISBN 0-224-02553-8; a slim octavo of roughly 133 pages measuring about 22.5 by 14.5 cm, bound in black boards lettered in gilt on the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket that should retain its original printed price. The UK Jonathan Cape edition (1988) is the true first and is conventionally regarded as preceding the US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First published 1988 by Jonathan Cape, London, ISBN 0-224-02553-8; a slim octavo of roughly 133 pages measuring about 22.5 by 14.5 cm, bound in black boards lettered in gilt on the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket that should retain its original printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Doris Lessing |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First published 1988 by Jonathan Cape, London, ISBN 0-224-02553-8; a slim octavo of roughly 133 pages measuring about 22.5 by 14.5 cm… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First published 1988 by Jonathan Cape, London, ISBN 0-224-02553-8; a slim octavo of roughly 133 pages measuring about 22.5 by 14.5 cm, bound in black boards lettered in gilt on the spine and issued in a printed dust jacket that should retain its original printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape edition (1988) is the true first and is conventionally regarded as preceding the US Alfred A. Knopf edition of the same year; the Knopf issue is the first American edition and is distinguished by its quarter black cloth over brown boards with gilt spine lettering.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; distinguish the UK Cape boards from the US Knopf quarter-cloth binding when identifying the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fifth Child* by Doris Lessing a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fifth-child
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.