Cover of another edition of this book. The Jonathan Cape 1983 jacket has not been photographed yet.
Identification points are listed only where two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 Oct 2026.
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Shame was first published by Jonathan Cape in London on 8 September 1983 and was shortlisted for that year's Booker Prize. The first edition is a hardback of 287 pages issued in a dust jacket. Look for the Cape imprint and a 1983 date with no later impression recorded on the copyright page. American editions are later and are not UK firsts.
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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The cover image shows this book but may not be this edition or printing.
Jonathan Cape, London, in 1983, in hardback.
Points of issue are listed only where at least two independent sources agree. Last reviewed 21 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 …
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