# Is "A Universe from Nothing" by Lawrence M. Krauss a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence M. Krauss (Free Press, 2012) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Free Press hardcover edition January 2012' with a full number line descending to 1. The US Free Press hardcover is the true first and precedes the UK (Simon & Schuster UK / Atria) issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Free Press hardcover edition January 2012' with a full number line descending to 1
- ISBN 978-1-4516-2445-8; includes an afterword by Richard Dawkins
- First-issue jacket with the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Free Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence M. Krauss |
| Publisher | Free Press |
| Year | 2012 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Free Press hardcover edition January 2012' with a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Free Press hardcover edition January 2012' with a full number line descending to 1. ISBN 978-1-4516-2445-8; includes an afterword by Richard Dawkins. First-issue jacket with the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Free Press hardcover is the true first and precedes the UK (Simon & Schuster UK / Atria) issue. A later reissue adds a new preface responding to critics; that is a first thus distinct from the 2012 first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no book-club hardcover of note. The main sources of confusion are later printings (number line no longer ending in 1) and the revised-preface reissue. The true first shows the stated January 2012 Free Press hardcover line and a number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Universe from Nothing* by Lawrence M. Krauss a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-universe-from-nothing
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.