11 Zadie Smith first editions are documented on this shelf, from White Teeth (2000) to The Fraud (2023) across 3 different publishers. Each linked guide gives the points of issue that separate a true first printing of that Zadie Smith title from later printings and book-club copies — the publisher and year to expect, the number-line or edition-statement conventions, and the tells that show up in online listings.
Identification only, per the house rule: no prices and no appraisals here. Checking a Zadie Smith copy in hand? Type the title into the First-Edition Checker or photograph the copyright page with Snap & Sort.
- White Teeth — 2000 · Hamish HamiltonHamish Hamilton, London, 2000, Smith's debut novel; octavo, pagination [xii] + 462 + [6], in publisher's red cloth boards with a decorative dust jacket bearing its printed price. First printing has the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. The debut was a prize magnet (Whitbread First Novel, James Tait Black, Guardian First Book, Commonwealth Writers First Book, Betty Trask). Hamish Hamilton London 2000 is the true first; Random House New York 2000 is the first US and does not precede the London printing. The UK first is the cornerstone. A number line not descending to 1 indicates a later impression; the US issue carries the Random House imprint and its own number line. Book-club copies lack the priced jacket.
- The Autograph Man — 2002 · Hamish HamiltonThe UK first edition is bound in black paper-covered boards with gilt spine lettering and red endpapers, with a full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. The dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap. Signed copies are signed by Zadie Smith on the title page. Published September 2002. The UK Hamish Hamilton edition (September 2002) is the true first, preceding the US Random House edition (published October 2002), which is distinguished by its light-blue-stamped white paper-covered boards. Later impressions state the impression number on the copyright page; the true first shows the complete descending number line.
- On Beauty — 2005 · Hamish HamiltonLondon: Hamish Hamilton, 2005. Copyright page states first publication in 2005 by Hamish Hamilton, with the full publisher number line present on the first impression. Original boards and dust jacket. Orange Prize winner; Booker-shortlisted. The UK Hamish Hamilton edition precedes the US Penguin Press edition of 2005. The UK Hamish Hamilton 2005 edition is the true first; the US Penguin Press is a first-thus. No major club edition; confirm the UK Hamish Hamilton imprint and stated first-publication line against the US Penguin Press printing.
- Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays — 2009 · Penguin PressZadie Smith's first essay collection. The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the publisher's full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a separate, slightly later issue identified by the Penguin number line and date on its copyright page. Precedence corrected. The US Penguin Press edition (mid-November 2009) was published ahead of the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (late November 2009), so the US printing is the true first. The earlier record's UK-first claim was incorrect. Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.
- NW — 2012 · Hamish HamiltonLondon: Hamish Hamilton, 2012. The UK first carries the British Penguin-convention number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 (note the included 10), not a descending line ending in 1; a line ending in 1, together with a US dollar price on the front flap, identifies the US Penguin Press edition. Copyright page states first publication in 2012 by Hamish Hamilton; original boards and sterling-priced unclipped dust jacket…. The UK Hamish Hamilton 2012 edition is the true first; the US Penguin Press is the First American Edition and a first-thus. No club edition; distinguish the UK Hamish Hamilton first (number line including 10) from the US Penguin Press printing (line ending in 1, dollar-priced flap).
- The Embassy of Cambodia — 2013 · Hamish HamiltonSingle short story (first published in The New Yorker) issued as a slim standalone hardcover of 80 pp.; ISBN 9780241146521. First printing indicated by a full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. Published 7 November 2013. UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover (7 November 2013) precedes the US Penguin edition (2013). No book club edition.
- Swing Time — 2016 · Hamish HamiltonUK Hamish Hamilton hardcover, published 15 November 2016, ISBN 9780241144152, 453 pages. Bound in black quarter cloth with red spine lettering over black paper-covered boards bearing a small red double-diamond device, with black endpapers; issued in a yellow dust jacket that should retain its printed cover price (unclipped as issued). First printing shows the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright…. UK Hamish Hamilton (15 November 2016) precedes the US Penguin Press edition (2016). Later impressions state the impression number on the copyright page rather than carrying the full line to 1.
- Feel Free: Essays — 2018 · Penguin PressEssay collection arranged in five sections. The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a closely contemporaneous but slightly later issue. Precedence corrected. The US Penguin Press edition (around 6 February 2018) preceded the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (8 February 2018) by a couple of days, making the US printing the true first. The two are very close, so both should be regarded as significant. Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.
- Grand Union: Stories — 2019 · Hamish HamiltonZadie Smith's first short-story collection (nineteen stories). UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover, ISBN 9780241337028, with the publisher's number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in a pictorial dust jacket bearing the printed price. UK Hamish Hamilton (3 October 2019) precedes US Penguin Press (8 October 2019), so the UK printing is the true first. Confirm the first printing by the number line terminating in 1. Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.
- Intimations: Six Essays — 2020 · PenguinSlim collection of six essays written during the early COVID-19 lockdown; issued as a paperback original in wrappers with the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. Issued as paperback originals on both sides of the Atlantic in 2020; the US Penguin Books printing (late July) slightly preceded the UK Penguin printing (early August), but the two are effectively contemporaneous. No hardcover first edition; later printings show a number line that no longer ends in 1.
- The Fraud — 2023 · Penguin PressZadie Smith's first historical novel. The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a slightly later, separate issue. Precedence corrected. The US Penguin Press edition (5 September 2023) preceded the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (7 September 2023), so the US printing is the true first, by a couple of days. Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.
More Literary Fiction (US) & Award Winners shelves: Zora Neale Hurston, A. E. van Vogt, Adam Johnson, Adrienne Rich, Aimee Bender, Alan Garner.
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