A34
Ian McEwan – Lessons
a. UK Edition
1a. First Edition – Standard
Jonathan Cape. Published 13th September 2022. Hardback. Navy blue endpapers, half-title, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [i], 1 blank. Pages 232mm x 150mm. Navy blue boards; across spine in white: ‘Lessons | Ian McEwan | (Cape logo)’. ISBN 1-787-33397-0.
Dustjacket. 572mm x 239mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, orange, pink and blue; above in black ‘Lessons’, and in red ‘IAN McEWAN’. Price on front flap £20.00.
1b. First Edition – Waterstones
Jonathan Cape. Published 13th September 2022. Hardback. Navy blue endpapers, half-title, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [ii]. Pages 232mm x 150mm. Navy blue boards; across spine in white: ‘Lessons | Ian McEwan | (Cape logo)’. ISBN 1-787-33397-0.
Dustjacket. 572mm x 239mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, orange, pink and blue; above in black ‘Lessons’, and in red ‘IAN McEWAN’. Price on front flap £20.00.
Note: The last leaf is a two page essay, ‘Invention & Memory’ by Ian McEwan, about the writing of Lessons. Otherwise this is exactly the same as the standard edition. This version was only available at Waterstones bookshops.
1c. First Edition – Sprayed edges
Jonathan Cape. Published 13th September 2022. Hardback. Navy blue endpapers, half-title, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [i], 1 blank. Pages 232mm x 150mm. All edges sprayed indigo. Navy blue boards; across spine in white: ‘Lessons | Ian McEwan | (Cape logo)’. ISBN 1-787-33397-0.
Dustjacket. 572mm x 239mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, orange, pink and blue; above in black ‘Lessons’, and in red ‘IAN McEWAN’. Price on front flap £20.00.
Note: This variant is exactly the same as the standard first edition except that the page edges are sprayed indigo. All copies sighted are signed by Ian McEwan to the title page.
2. Proof
Jonathan Cape. Paperback. Half title, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [i], 1 blank. Pages 233mm x 150mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, caramel, pink and blue; above in black ‘Lessons’, in caramel ‘IAN McEWAN’ and in very small black text at the bottom ‘Uncorrected proof copy. | Not for resale or quotation.’. Down spine in black ’13 Sept 2022 Lessons’, in caramel ‘Ian McEwan’ and in black ‘(Cape logo)’.
3. London Review Bookshop Limited Edition
London Review Bookshop. Published 2022. Hardback. Olive endpapers, 1 blank, half title, [i] limitation page, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [i], 1 blank. Pages 233mm x 150mm. No ISBN. No dustjacket.
Slipcase. Black cloth; on one side a small olive panel with an excerpt of a musical score.
- Black boards quarter bound in Harmatan Jade leather; on the front board a small olive panel with an excerpt of a musical score; across spine in gilt: ‘LESSONS | IAN | McEWAN | (LRB logo)’. Seventy five copies hand-numbered 1-75 and signed by Ian McEwan.
- Full bound in Harmatan Jade leather; down spine in gilt: ‘LESSONS | IAN | McEWAN | (LRB logo)’. Twenty five copies hand-numbered i to xxv and signed by Ian McEwan.
Note: All copies include, in a black card portfolio, facsimile pages of Ian McEwan’s original notes for the novel. The quarter bound edition has two pages of notes and the full bound edition has three pages.
See photos below.
b. USA Edition
1. First Edition
Alfred A. Knopf. Published 13th September 2022. Hardback. White endpapers, [i], half title, title, [iii], 429 pages numbered 3-431, [iii]. Pages 232mm x 152mm. Royal blue boards quarter bound in royal blue cloth. Down spine in rose gold: ‘LESSONS (graphic device) IAN McEWAN (Borzoi logo) Alfred A. Knopf’. ISBN 0-593-53520-2.
Dustjacket. 583mm x 240mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, orange, pink and royal blue; above in black ‘LESSONS | IAN McEWAN | A novel’. Price on front flap $30.00.
Note 1: At the time of publication copies were put on sale with a ‘Signed Copy’ sticker on the dustjacket front. These have an additional leaf, signed by Ian McEwan, tipped-in after the first free endpaper.
2. Proof
Alfred A. Knopf. Paperback. [ii], half title, title, [iii], 481 pages numbered 3-483, [i], 6 blanks. Pages 233mm x 150mm. Front: An illustration of a boy playing a piano in magenta, orange, pink and royal blue; above in black ‘LESSONS | IAN McEWAN | A novel’ and the Knopf Borzoi logo ‘Advance Reader’s Edition’ device. Down spine in blue ‘On Sale | September 2022’, in black ‘IAN McEWAN | LESSONS’ and in blue ‘(Borzoi logo) KNOPF’.
See photos below.
