# Is "A Brief History of Seven Killings" by Marlon James a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (Riverhead Books, 2014) is identified by: The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015). The US Riverhead 2014 (September) precedes the UK Oneworld 2014 (October) by roughly one month and is the effective true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015)
- The Riverhead first thus precedes the UK by about a month
- First printing is told by a full number line ending in 1 (US Riverhead)
- The UK Oneworld first is identified by its imprint and 2014 verso statement
- Publisher imprint reads Riverhead Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marlon James |
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The US Riverhead edition was published in September 2014; the UK Oneworld edition followed in October 2014 (not 2015). The Riverhead first thus precedes the UK by about a month. First printing is told by a full number line ending in 1 (US Riverhead). The UK Oneworld first is identified by its imprint and 2014 verso statement.

## Is this the true first?
The US Riverhead 2014 (September) precedes the UK Oneworld 2014 (October) by roughly one month and is the effective true first. Both are 2014 editions; the prior record's UK date of 2015 was incorrect.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The UK Oneworld first is distinguished by imprint and the 2014 date; the US Riverhead carries the US price. No prominent book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Brief History of Seven Killings* by Marlon James a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-brief-history-of-seven-killings
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.