# Is "Written on the Body" by Jeanette Winterson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson (Jonathan Cape, 1992) is identified by: First UK hardcover, Jonathan Cape, London, 1992, stating 'First published 1992' on the copyright page (ISBN 0 224 03587 8), 190 pages. The Jonathan Cape 1992 London hardcover is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK hardcover, Jonathan Cape, London, 1992, stating 'First published 1992' on the copyright page (ISBN 0 224 03587 8), 190 pages
- Bound in black cloth with gilt titling to the spine
- The narrator is deliberately unnamed and never gendered, a defining feature of the text
- First-state dust jacket has an orange spine with black-and-white lettering; the printed UK net price should be present on the jacket, and a first is 'unclipped' when that price remains intact
- Publisher imprint reads Jonathan Cape
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jeanette Winterson |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK hardcover, Jonathan Cape, London, 1992, stating 'First published 1992' on the copyright page (ISBN 0 224 03587 8), 190 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First UK hardcover, Jonathan Cape, London, 1992, stating 'First published 1992' on the copyright page (ISBN 0 224 03587 8), 190 pages. Bound in black cloth with gilt titling to the spine. The narrator is deliberately unnamed and never gendered, a defining feature of the text. First-state dust jacket has an orange spine with black-and-white lettering; the printed UK net price should be present on the jacket, and a first is 'unclipped' when that price remains intact.

## Is this the true first?
The Jonathan Cape 1992 London hardcover is the true first edition. The US Alfred A. Knopf edition followed in 1993, so the UK printing precedes and is the first in English.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition is recorded for this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Written on the Body* by Jeanette Winterson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/written-on-the-body
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.