# Is "The Songlines" by Bruce Chatwin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Songlines by Bruce Chatwin (Jonathan Cape, 1987) 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. UK Cape (London) 1987 precedes the US Viking (New York) 1987 issue; both are collected.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bruce Chatwin |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 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… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Songlines* by Bruce Chatwin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-songlines
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.