# Is "The Rachel Papers" by Martin Amis a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis (Jonathan Cape, 1973) is identified by: Original black cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine titling, top edge stained pink; octavo, 227 pp. The UK Jonathan Cape edition (1973) is the true first; the US Knopf edition followed in 1974, so the UK precedes.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Original black cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine titling, top edge stained pink; octavo, 227 pp
- Copyright page reads 'First published 1973' with no later-printing line
- Amis's debut novel, which won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1974
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Martin Amis |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Original black cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine titling, top edge stained pink; octavo, 227 pp |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Original black cloth boards with gilt-stamped spine titling, top edge stained pink; octavo, 227 pp. Copyright page reads 'First published 1973' with no later-printing line. Amis's debut novel, which won the Somerset Maugham Award in 1974.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape edition (1973) is the true first; the US Knopf edition followed in 1974, so the UK precedes.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club issue; later Penguin paperbacks are reprints. Watch for the later reissue, which is not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Rachel Papers* by Martin Amis a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-rachel-papers
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.