# Is "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain" by George Saunders a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Swim in a Pond in the Rain by George Saunders (Random House, 2021) is identified by: Craft study of Russian short stories (ISBN 9781984856029). US Random House hardcover of January 2021 is the true first; a UK Bloomsbury edition appeared the same year and does not precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Craft study of Russian short stories (ISBN 9781984856029)
- First edition identified by 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Saunders |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Craft study of Russian short stories (ISBN 9781984856029) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Craft study of Russian short stories (ISBN 9781984856029). First edition identified by 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a full number line ending in 1.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House hardcover of January 2021 is the true first; a UK Bloomsbury edition appeared the same year and does not precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Swim in a Pond in the Rain* by George Saunders a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.