The points of issue
Octavo, 231 pp.; cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page states 'First published 1990' with the printer's key descending to 1. First-issue dust jacket carries the original UK price and is not price-clipped.
Is this the true first?
First published by Jonathan Cape in London in May 1990; the US Doubleday edition (274 pp., a reset and longer typesetting) also appeared in 1990. The two were effectively simultaneous, so the Cape printing is the British first rather than a demonstrable global precedent.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Cape impressions revise the printer's key (lowest digit no longer 1). The US Doubleday text is a separate setting and stands as its own first US edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Innocent a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Octavo, 231 pp.; cloth-backed boards with gilt spine lettering; copyright page states 'First published 1990' with the printer's key descending to 1. First-issue dust jacket carries the original UK price and is not price-clipped.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. First published by Jonathan Cape in London in May 1990; the US Doubleday edition (274 pp., a reset and longer typesetting) also appeared in 1990. The two were effectively simultaneous, so the Cape printing is the British first rather than a demonstrable global precedent.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Cape impressions revise the printer's key (lowest digit no longer 1). The US Doubleday text is a separate setting and stands as its own first US edition.
I have a first edition of The Innocent — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.