Is My The Songlines a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The true first is the Jonathan Cape (London) trade hardback of 1987: black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, [6] + 293 pp, in a priced pictorial dust jacket
• Cape also issued a signed 'London Limited Editions' state of 150 numbered copies in quarter cloth with marbled boards and an added signed limitation leaf — a distinct limited issue, not the trade first

How Jonathan Cape marked a first edition

• First printings state "First published [Year]" or "First published in Great Britain [Year]" on the copyright page with NO additional impression lines and traditionally NO number line
• Later printings noted by added lines (e.g. 'Second impression [year]', 'Reprinted...') — their presence disqualifies a first

Full Jonathan Cape first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Check for a number line or dated printing — the lowest number present is the printing; a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the tell.
3. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
4. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
5. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK Cape (London) 1987 precedes the US Viking (New York) 1987 issue; both are collected. Beware a Franklin Library (US) signed 'First Edition' of 1987 in decorative leather, produced by special arrangement with Viking Penguin and Cape — a premium 'first thus,' not the world first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The Franklin Library leather issue and the Cape 'London Limited Editions' 150-copy signed state are premium/limited issues, not the trade first; any book-club (BCA) hardback lacks the priced Cape jacket. Identify the trade first by black cloth, gilt spine and the priced Cape jacket.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Songlines a first edition?

A first edition of The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin (Jonathan Cape) is identified by: The true first is the Jonathan Cape (London) trade hardback of 1987: black cloth lettered in gilt on the spine, [6] + 293 pp, in a priced pictorial dust jacket.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A stated first edition, a number line ending in 1, or a dated first printing with no later printings listed is the key. UK Cape (London) 1987 precedes the US Viking (New York) 1987 issue; both are collected.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The Franklin Library leather issue and the Cape 'London Limited Editions' 150-copy signed state are premium/limited issues, not the trade first; any book-club (BCA) hardback lacks the priced Cape jacket. Identify the trade first by black cloth, gilt spine and the priced Cape jacket.

I have a first edition of The Songlines — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.