# Is "Accordion Crimes" by Annie Proulx a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx (Scribner, 1996) is identified by: First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over beige paper boards, spine lettered in copper; dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped. US Scribner's is the true first; the UK 4th Estate edition (1996) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over beige paper boards, spine lettered in copper; dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped
- Byline "E. Annie Proulx." A separate signed, numbered limited issue of 2,500 copies with a tipped-in limitation leaf was also produced
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Proulx |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over beige paper boards, spine lettered… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over beige paper boards, spine lettered in copper; dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped. Byline "E. Annie Proulx." A separate signed, numbered limited issue of 2,500 copies with a tipped-in limitation leaf was also produced.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's is the true first; the UK 4th Estate edition (1996) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club editions are smaller, lack the number line, are blind-stamped, and have no printed price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Accordion Crimes* by Annie Proulx a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/accordion-crimes
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.