Midnight's Children
By Salman Rushdie
 
First edition, first impression: London: Jonathan Cape, 1981. Signed by the author to the title page.
 
Octavo. Original quarter burgundy cloth over grey boards, spine lettered in silver. With the original pictorial dust jacket designed by Bill Botten, priced £6.95 net to the rear flap, and retaining the original red Booker McConnell Prize wraparound band.
 
The book is in excellent, fine condition: boards clean and bright, cloth unfaded, corners sharp, and spine square. Internally fresh and clean throughout, with a discreet, light and even tone to the paper stock. Signed by the author in black ink on the title page.
 
The dust jacket is very well preserved, showing only the lightest edge wear to spine ends and a little of the usual fading to the blue of the spine panel, extending a little on to the top edge of lower panel, but otherwise crisp and unmarked. The Booker Prize band is complete and vivid, save for some fading and a crease to the spine panel.
 
Midnight’s Children is Rushdie’s breakthrough novel and one of the defining works of post-war English-language fiction, winner of the 1981 Booker Prize and later the unique recipient of the “Booker of Bookers.”
 
Signed copies of the true first edition are uncommon, and examples retaining both the original price-unclipped jacket and the ephemeral Booker band are particularly sought after. A handsome and highly desirable copy of a modern classic.