A1
Ian McEwan – First Love, Last Rites
A1 a. UK Edition
1. First Edition
Jonathan Cape. Published 17th April 1975. Hardback. White endpapers, half-title, title, [ii], 157 pages numbered 9-165, 1 blank. Pages 198mm x 122mm. Black cloth; down spine in gilt lettering: ‘FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES Ian McEwan (Cape logo)’. ISBN 0-224-01095-6.
Dustjacket. 465mm x 204mm. Front: a black and white graphic by Bill Botten of a naked woman, a rat, a flower and thorns. In gold: ‘First Love, Last Rites’ and in white: ‘Ian McEwan’. Price on front flap £2.50.
Note 1: The MW collection includes the review copy of the poet Anthony Thwaite who taught Ian McEwan writing at the University of East Anglia and whose review of First Love, Last Rites in The Observer helped launch McEwan’s career. In 1990 McEwan inscribed the book, thanking Thwaite for that review.
2. Proof
Jonathan Cape. Paperback. Half-title, title, [ii], 157 pages numbered 9-165, 1 blank. Pages 195mm x 126mm. Old gold wrappers with repeated Cape logo and publication data in black; down spine in black lettering: ‘FIRST LOVE LAST RITES IAN McEWAN’.
3. Fortieth Anniversary Edition
Jonathan Cape. Published 2015. Paperback with french wrappers. [i], title, [ii], [iii] McEwan’s introduction to the 40th anniversary edition, 188 pages numbered 1-188, [iii] archive publicity material for the first edition. Pages 198mm x 126mm. Front: white with in large black text ‘FIRST | LOVE | LAST | RITES’ – the O of love being in blue, red and yellow; between the L and A of last in red ‘McEWAN’; a white sticker was affixed to the front with black text ‘40th | ANNIVERSARY | EDITION’. ISBN 978-0-099-75481-7. Price on back cover £8.99.
See photos below.
A1 b. USA Edition
- First Edition
Random House. Published 1st June 1975. Hardback. White endpapers, 1 blank, half-title, title, [ii], 157 pages numbered 9-165, [i], 3 blanks. Pages 208mm x 132mm. Vermillion paper boards with on the front in metallic rose lettering ‘I (floral device) M’, quarter bound in dark chocolate cloth; down spine in gilt lettering: ‘Ian McEwan FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES (logo) Random House’. ISBN 0-394-49422-9.
Dustjacket. 498mm x 213mm. Front: dark chocolate with a black and white graphic of a painting on a wall and around the graphic in red text outlined in yellow: ‘FIRST LOVE, LAST RITES’ and below in smaller, grey text: ‘Fiction by Ian McEwan’. Price on front flap $6.95.
2. Proof
Random House. Paperback. Half-title, title, [ii], 157 pages numbered 9-165, 1 blank. Pages 210mm x 132mm. Red wrappers with on front cover text in black; the spine is blank.
Note: The UK edition is dedicated ‘To Elaine’ while the USA edition is ‘To John Webb’.
See photos below.
