# Is "The Magus" by John Fowles a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Magus by John Fowles (Jonathan Cape, 1965/1966) is identified by: The first edition is the US Little, Brown Boston 1965, which precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966. Unusually, the US Little, Brown 1965 precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966, so the true first is American.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first edition is the US Little, Brown Boston 1965, which precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966
- First printing with no later-printing statement
- (Fowles revised the text in 1977; the 1965/66 text is the unrevised first.)
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Fowles |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1965/1966 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first edition is the US Little, Brown Boston 1965, which precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first edition is the US Little, Brown Boston 1965, which precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966. First printing with no later-printing statement. (Fowles revised the text in 1977; the 1965/66 text is the unrevised first.)

## Is this the true first?
Unusually, the US Little, Brown 1965 precedes the UK Jonathan Cape 1966, so the true first is American. The 1977 revised edition is a separate textual state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
UK Cape 1966 and the 1977 revision are distinct; later printings shown by statement. Book club editions lack the first-state jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Magus* by John Fowles a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-magus
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.