# Is "Bad Behavior" by Mary Gaitskill a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Bad Behavior by Mary Gaitskill (Poseidon Press, 1988) is identified by: Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster division) first edition, copyright 1988, with a full number line ending in 1. The US Poseidon Press hardcover of 1988 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster division) first edition, copyright 1988, with a full number line ending in 1
- Bound in brown cloth over gray boards, stamped in silver, in the original dust jacket
- ISBN 0-671-65871-7
- Gaitskill's debut collection
- Some catalogues date the book 1989 (a later printing); the 1988 number-line-to-1 copy is the true first
- Publisher imprint reads Poseidon Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Gaitskill |
| Publisher | Poseidon Press |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster division) first edition, copyright 1988, with a full number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Poseidon Press (a Simon & Schuster division) first edition, copyright 1988, with a full number line ending in 1. Bound in brown cloth over gray boards, stamped in silver, in the original dust jacket. ISBN 0-671-65871-7. Gaitskill's debut collection. Some catalogues date the book 1989 (a later printing); the 1988 number-line-to-1 copy is the true first.

## Is this the true first?
The US Poseidon Press hardcover of 1988 is the true first. UK editions followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the number line and the jacket price; later Vintage and Simon & Schuster paperbacks are reprints.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Bad Behavior* by Mary Gaitskill a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/bad-behavior
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.