Is My Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House, New York, published 15 November 2016, ISBN 0-399-58817-5
• hardcover in dust jacket, 288 pages (a few collations give 304), octavo, approx
• 9.5 x 6.5 in
• The copyright page states "First Edition" AND carries a complete number line running 9 down to 1 — dealers verify "1-9 present." Random House's practice is to state "First Edition" and to strike that statement on subsequent printings while the number line advances, so both the statement and the 1 must be present; either alone is insufficient
• Priced jacket / price present at the flap, unclipped, not remainder-marked
• No first-state text error, binding variant or jacket variant is documented for this title

How Spiegel & Grau marked a first edition

• For the PRH-era titles, first printing carries a full number line descending to 1, typically with a "First Edition" statement, following Random House practice

Full Spiegel & Grau first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The US Spiegel & Grau edition (New York, 15 November 2016) is the true first, preceding the UK John Murray edition (London, 17 November 2016; hardcover ISBN 9781473635289 — the 9781473635296 ISBN is the John Murray paperback) by two days. The census claim is correct, but the margin is two days, not months: that is thin enough that the priority should be checked against the imprint in hand rather than assumed, and both editions are collected — the Spiegel & Grau as the first edition, the John Murray as the British first. Later copies bearing the same 9780399588174 ISBN under the One World imprint (Random House's successor after Spiegel & Grau was closed) are reissues of the same text, not the 2016 first.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented. The reprint tells are the ones Random House builds in: later printings lack the "First Edition" statement and/or begin the number line at 2 or higher. The specific trap on this title is imprint drift — retail and dealer listings carrying the original ISBN under "One World" rather than "Spiegel & Grau" are later reissues, and a listing that names the publisher without quoting the copyright page proves nothing about the printing.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood a first edition?

A first edition of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah (Spiegel & Grau) is identified by: Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House, New York, published 15 November 2016, ISBN 0-399-58817-5 (9780399588174); hardcover in dust jacket, 288 pages (a few collations give 304), octavo, approx.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The US Spiegel & Grau edition (New York, 15 November 2016) is the true first, preceding the UK John Murray edition (London, 17 November 2016; hardcover ISBN 9781473635289 — the 9781473635296 ISBN is the John Murray paperback) by two days.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is documented. The reprint tells are the ones Random House builds in: later printings lack the "First Edition" statement and/or begin the number line at 2 or higher. The specific trap on this title is imprint drift — retail and dealer listings carrying the original ISBN under "One World" rather than "Spiegel & Grau" are later reissues, and a listing that names the publisher without quoting the copyright page proves nothing about the printing.

I have a first edition of Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.