# Is "The Moronic Inferno and Other Visits to America" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Moronic Inferno and Other Visits to America by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1986) is identified by: Essay collection on America (ISBN 0224023853 / 9780224023856), issued in publisher's black cloth boards with gilt-lettered spine, in a dust jacket. UK Cape (1986) precedes the first US edition from Viking (1987).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Essay collection on America (ISBN 0224023853 / 9780224023856), issued in publisher's black cloth boards with gilt-lettered spine, in a dust jacket
- The first edition states first publication in 1986 with no later-impression statement; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Essay collection on America (ISBN 0224023853 / 9780224023856), issued in publisher's black cloth boards with gilt-lettered spine, in a dust… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Essay collection on America (ISBN 0224023853 / 9780224023856), issued in publisher's black cloth boards with gilt-lettered spine, in a dust jacket. The first edition states first publication in 1986 with no later-impression statement; a first-issue jacket should retain its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
UK Cape (1986) precedes the first US edition from Viking (1987).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified by an added impression statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Moronic Inferno and Other Visits to America* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-moronic-inferno-and-other-visits-to-america
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.