# Is "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver (HarperCollins, 1990) is identified by: First edition (first American edition), HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1990; 342pp. US HarperCollins 1990 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition (first American edition), HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1990
- Per HarperCollins practice of the period, a first printing states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page and carries a complete descending number line ending in 1; absence of the 'FIRST EDITION' statement, or a number line not ending in 1, indicates a later printing
- Distinctive binding: quarter-bound in burgundy cloth over bright orange paper-covered boards, with gilt lettering to the spine and a small gilt ornament to the front board, and bright orange endpapers, in the priced pictorial dust jacket
- Signed copies exist (author signature only; no publisher's limitation)
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara Kingsolver |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition (first American edition), HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1990 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition (first American edition), HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 1990; 342pp. Per HarperCollins practice of the period, a first printing states 'FIRST EDITION' on the copyright page and carries a complete descending number line ending in 1; absence of the 'FIRST EDITION' statement, or a number line not ending in 1, indicates a later printing. Distinctive binding: quarter-bound in burgundy cloth over bright orange paper-covered boards, with gilt lettering to the spine and a small gilt ornament to the front board, and bright orange endpapers, in the priced pictorial dust jacket. Signed copies exist (author signature only; no publisher's limitation).

## Is this the true first?
US HarperCollins 1990 is the true first. CORRECTION to the census note: the first UK edition was Scribners, London, 1991 (hardcover, first impression) — NOT Abacus. Abacus issued the later UK paperback (1992). The US 1990 hardcover precedes all UK printings and is the collected first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-of-the-month/club edition exists: tells include a blindstamp to the lower rear board, a 'Book Club Edition' notation with no price on the dust-jacket front flap, generally smaller/lighter bulk, and no stated 'FIRST EDITION'/number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The true first is a taller trade hardcover with the quarter-bound burgundy-and-orange binding above.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Animal Dreams* by Barbara Kingsolver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/animal-dreams
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.