# Is "The Pregnant Widow" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Pregnant Widow by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 2010) is identified by: Octavo in black boards, spine stamped in gilt, 470 pages; the first printing shows the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page (later impressions strip the lower digits, so a fourth printing shows a line such as 4 6 8 10 9 7 5). UK Jonathan Cape (4 February 2010) precedes the US Knopf edition (11 May 2010).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Octavo in black boards, spine stamped in gilt, 470 pages; the first printing shows the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page (later impressions strip the lower digits, so a fourth printing shows a line such as 4 6 8 10 9 7 5)
- The pictorial dust jacket has a blue-and-white spine with white lettering and should retain its printed price on the front flap
- ISBN 9780224076128
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Octavo in black boards, spine stamped in gilt, 470 pages; the first printing shows the full descending number line ending in 1 on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Octavo in black boards, spine stamped in gilt, 470 pages; the first printing shows the full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page (later impressions strip the lower digits, so a fourth printing shows a line such as 4 6 8 10 9 7 5). The pictorial dust jacket has a blue-and-white spine with white lettering and should retain its printed price on the front flap. ISBN 9780224076128.

## Is this the true first?
UK Jonathan Cape (4 February 2010) precedes the US Knopf edition (11 May 2010).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue; later impressions remove the lower digits of the number line or state the impression.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Pregnant Widow* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-pregnant-widow
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.