# Is "The Ground Beneath Her Feet" by Salman Rushdie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ground Beneath Her Feet by Salman Rushdie (Jonathan Cape, 1999) is identified by: First edition, first impression: black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo (about 24 cm), 575 pages, issued in a dust jacket printed on reflective paper (photograph/design credited to Anthony Brien) whose printed front-flap price should be present. The UK Jonathan Cape edition (April 1999, ISBN 0224044192 / 9780224044196) is taken as the true first, narrowly preceding the US Henry Holt edition (1999, ISBN 0805053085).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first impression: black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo (about 24 cm), 575 pages, issued in a dust jacket printed on reflective paper (photograph/design credited to Anthony Brien) whose printed front-flap price should be present
- The first impression carries the complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first impression: black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo (about 24 cm), 575 pages, issued in a dust jacket… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first impression: black cloth with gilt lettering to the spine, octavo (about 24 cm), 575 pages, issued in a dust jacket printed on reflective paper (photograph/design credited to Anthony Brien) whose printed front-flap price should be present. The first impression carries the complete number line 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape edition (April 1999, ISBN 0224044192 / 9780224044196) is taken as the true first, narrowly preceding the US Henry Holt edition (1999, ISBN 0805053085). Cape copies show black cloth, gilt spine, and the 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions state the impression on the copyright page and break the descending number sequence; the true first shows the full line ending in 1. No book-club factor for the Cape printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ground Beneath Her Feet* by Salman Rushdie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ground-beneath-her-feet
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.