The points of issue
First English edition, translated by Nicholas de Lange, 2004, issued by Harcourt in the US and Chatto & Windus in the UK. Cloth with dust jacket; the US Harcourt printing carries a full number line ending in 1 on the true first. Memoir; the Hebrew original appeared in 2002.
Is this the true first?
The 2004 English edition is the first in English. The US Harcourt and UK Chatto & Windus printings both appeared in 2004; the US Harcourt is generally treated as the first English-language edition, with the UK Chatto issue contemporaneous. Confirm by imprint and copyright page.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Vintage and Mariner paperbacks are reprints, not the first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of A Tale of Love and Darkness (Sippur al Ahava ve-Hoshekh) a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First English edition, translated by Nicholas de Lange, 2004, issued by Harcourt in the US and Chatto & Windus in the UK. Cloth with dust jacket; the US Harcourt printing carries a full number line ending in 1 on the true first. Memoir; the Hebrew original appeared in 2002.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The 2004 English edition is the first in English. The US Harcourt and UK Chatto & Windus printings both appeared in 2004; the US Harcourt is generally treated as the first English-language edition, with the UK Chatto issue contemporaneous. Confirm by imprint and copyright page.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later Vintage and Mariner paperbacks are reprints, not the first edition.
I have a first edition of A Tale of Love and Darkness (Sippur al Ahava ve-Hoshekh) — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.