# Is "The Golden House" by Salman Rushdie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Golden House by Salman Rushdie (Jonathan Cape, 2017) is identified by: First UK edition, first printing, from Jonathan Cape (London), 2017. Jonathan Cape (London) issued the UK edition in 2017; the US Random House edition was published 5 September 2017.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, first printing, from Jonathan Cape (London), 2017
- Octavo, issued in boards under a dust jacket with a black spine carrying bronze and white lettering; the printed price appears on the front flap and should be present, though no amount is asserted here
- First printing is identified by a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- Signed copies were signed flat by Rushdie on the title page
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, first printing, from Jonathan Cape (London), 2017 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, first printing, from Jonathan Cape (London), 2017. Octavo, issued in boards under a dust jacket with a black spine carrying bronze and white lettering; the printed price appears on the front flap and should be present, though no amount is asserted here. First printing is identified by a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. Signed copies were signed flat by Rushdie on the title page.

## Is this the true first?
Jonathan Cape (London) issued the UK edition in 2017; the US Random House edition was published 5 September 2017. UK and US are effectively simultaneous, so neither is asserted as the unequivocal true first ahead of the other; the Cape printing is the UK first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings carry an added impression statement; the true first shows the full number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Golden House* by Salman Rushdie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-golden-house
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.