# Is "Always Coming Home" by Ursula K. Le Guin a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Always Coming Home by Ursula K. Le Guin (Harper & Row, 1985) is identified by: First trade printing has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced dust jacket. US Harper & Row first; the boxed slipcased issue with the cassette is a distinct, scarcer collectible issue rather than a later printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade printing has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced dust jacket
- A separate boxed/slipcased issue bundling the book with the 'Music and Poetry of the Kesh' audiocassette was also produced and is a distinct collectible state
- Publisher imprint reads Harper & Row
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ursula K. Le Guin |
| Publisher | Harper & Row |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade printing has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First trade printing has a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced dust jacket. A separate boxed/slipcased issue bundling the book with the 'Music and Poetry of the Kesh' audiocassette was also produced and is a distinct collectible state.

## Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row first; the boxed slipcased issue with the cassette is a distinct, scarcer collectible issue rather than a later printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the number line and the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Always Coming Home* by Ursula K. Le Guin a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/always-coming-home
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.