Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 Oct 2026.
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Mao: The Unknown Story was first published in London by Jonathan Cape on 2 June 2005, months before the Knopf New York edition of 18 October 2005, so the Cape hardback is the true first. A heavy volume of 814 numbered pages plus preliminaries, with photographic plates and maps. Bound in black cloth with gilt lettering on the spine. The book reprinted many times, and dealers list second, third, seventh and eighth printings that still call themselves first editions, so check the copyright page closely. Copies signed by one or both authors are common, so a signature alone adds little.
Read the full guide to Jonathan Cape first editions, decade by decade, and check your copy's copyright page against it. Our number line decoder reads the printing from the row of numbers.
We have not yet confirmed the issue points that tell this first impression from later ones. Until we do, compare your copy's title page and copyright page with the publisher, place and year above: any later printing or edition statement means it is not this one.
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Jonathan Cape, London, in 2005, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 28 October 2026. Reviewed by Harriet Ellis; read how we check facts.
For most books published since the 1920s, the original dust jacket carries a large share of the value, often most …
Read the guide →7 min readTo identify a first edition, check that your copy is the first printing of the first edition. Read the copyright …
Read the guide →6 min readBook condition grading uses a six-step trade scale: Fine, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Collectors grade the …
Read the guide →