# Is "Becoming" by Michelle Obama a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Becoming by Michelle Obama (Crown, 2018) is identified by: The trade first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line, commonly recorded as '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (lowest number 1); ISBN 9781524763138, published November 13, 2018. US Crown (New York) and UK Viking (Penguin) published simultaneously on November 13, 2018; both are collected as firsts, with the signed US Crown first the usual focus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The trade first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line, commonly recorded as '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (lowest number 1)
- ISBN 9781524763138, published November 13, 2018
- Distinct from the trade issue is the signed 'First Deluxe Edition' — a slipcased limited issue stated 'First Deluxe Edition' on the copyright page with added content ('A Note to Self,' two prints, a Miller Mobley portrait) — a separate state, not the ordinary first
- Because the first printing ran into the millions, collecting concentrates on signed copies rather than on scarcity of the first printing itself
- Publisher imprint reads Crown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michelle Obama |
| Publisher | Crown |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The trade first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line, commonly recorded as '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The trade first printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a complete number line, commonly recorded as '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (lowest number 1); ISBN 9781524763138, published November 13, 2018. Distinct from the trade issue is the signed 'First Deluxe Edition' — a slipcased limited issue stated 'First Deluxe Edition' on the copyright page with added content ('A Note to Self,' two prints, a Miller Mobley portrait) — a separate state, not the ordinary first. Because the first printing ran into the millions, collecting concentrates on signed copies rather than on scarcity of the first printing itself.

## Is this the true first?
US Crown (New York) and UK Viking (Penguin) published simultaneously on November 13, 2018; both are collected as firsts, with the signed US Crown first the usual focus. Confirm the number-line sequence on the copy in hand — the reliable anchor is the stated 'First Edition' with the line running to 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club, large-print, and later printings exist; a club or later copy lacks the 'First Edition' statement and the number line running to 1, and a club copy may show a rear-board blindstamp and a jacket without the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Becoming* by Michelle Obama a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/becoming
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.