# Is "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Choke by Chuck Palahniuk (Doubleday, 2001) is identified by: The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete number line whose lowest number is 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The Doubleday US edition (New York, published 22 May 2001) precedes the UK first from Jonathan Cape (London, July 2001) by roughly six weeks, so the census claim is correct and the Doubleday US is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete number line whose lowest number is 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- Under the Doubleday convention in force from 2001, the printline appears on the first printing as well as on reprints, so both elements must be present together; later printings drop the "FIRST EDITION" statement and show an advanced printline with the 1 removed
- Issued in publisher's boards in a priced jacket — the price should be present and unclipped at the front flap
- ISBN 0385501560
- No first-state text error is recorded in any source consulted; do not accept a claimed text point for this title without a physical collation
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chuck Palahniuk |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The first printing carries the words "FIRST EDITION" beneath the copyright notice on the verso of the title leaf, together with a complete number line whose lowest number is 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Under the Doubleday convention in force from 2001, the printline appears on the first printing as well as on reprints, so both elements must be present together; later printings drop the "FIRST EDITION" statement and show an advanced printline with the 1 removed. Issued in publisher's boards in a priced jacket — the price should be present and unclipped at the front flap. ISBN 0385501560; 293 pp. No first-state text error is recorded in any source consulted; do not accept a claimed text point for this title without a physical collation.

## Is this the true first?
The Doubleday US edition (New York, published 22 May 2001) precedes the UK first from Jonathan Cape (London, July 2001) by roughly six weeks, so the census claim is correct and the Doubleday US is the true first. The Jonathan Cape UK first edition is separately collected as the first British edition and should be described as such rather than as a first edition of the work. An uncorrected Cape proof in printed wraps (London, 2001) precedes both trade issues and is a proof, not an edition. The Anchor trade paperback (2002) is a later reprint and is not a collectible "first thus."

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No Doubleday book-club issue of Choke is documented in the sources consulted, and no club tells specific to this title could be confirmed. The reliable reprint tells are the loss of the "FIRST EDITION" statement and an advanced printline lacking the 1; the common later trade appearance is the Anchor paperback (2002). A jacket with no price at the flap should be treated with caution as a possible club or export issue rather than assumed to be a clipped trade jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Choke* by Chuck Palahniuk a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/choke
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.