Is My Copy of 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.P-045353

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.P-045354

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. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

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.