Is My The French Lieutenant's Woman a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Jonathan Cape, London, 1969, first edition, first impression, with no later-impression statement on the copyright page
• Bound in publisher's brown cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, octavo, 445 pages
• The endpapers carry a drawing by Tom Adams and the dust-jacket typography is by Adrian Brewin; the jacket is dark maroon/brown, lettered in gilt on the front panel and spine, with a portrait photograph of Fowles on the rear panel and the printed price present on the front flap (present regardless of any clipping)
• US Little, Brown (Boston, 1969) followed and is distinguished by its blue cloth gilt and its own imprint

How Jonathan Cape marked a first edition

• First printings state "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page with NO additional impression lines and traditionally NO number line
• Later printings noted by added lines (e.g. 'Second impression [year]', 'Reprinted...') — their presence disqualifies a first

Full Jonathan Cape first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Jonathan Cape, London, 1969 is the true first; Little, Brown, Boston, 1969 is the first US edition, in blue cloth with its own imprint and pricing. The UK printing precedes the US.P-015249

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later Cape impressions are stated on the copyright-page verso; the US edition is told apart by imprint, binding colour and pricing. The 1981 film-tie-in issue and any book-club printings are distinct from the 1969 trade first.P-015250

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The French Lieutenant's Woman a first edition?

A first edition of The French Lieutenant's Woman by John Fowles (Jonathan Cape) is identified by: Jonathan Cape, London, 1969, first edition, first impression, with no later-impression statement on the copyright page.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. Jonathan Cape, London, 1969 is the true first; Little, Brown, Boston, 1969 is the first US edition, in blue cloth with its own imprint and pricing.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later Cape impressions are stated on the copyright-page verso; the US edition is told apart by imprint, binding colour and pricing. The 1981 film-tie-in issue and any book-club printings are distinct from the 1969 trade first.

I have a first edition of The French Lieutenant's Woman — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.