# Is "Coming Soon!!!: A Narrative" by John Barth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Coming Soon!!!: A Narrative by John Barth (Houghton Mifflin, 2001) is identified by: edition published 2001 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618131655). True first is the 2001 Houghton Mifflin U.S.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First U.S. edition published 2001 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618131655)
- Per Houghton Mifflin's standard convention of this era, the first printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1; the dust jacket carries the original price
- Dealers describe first/first copies consistent with this
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Barth |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First U.S. edition published 2001 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618131655) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First U.S. edition published 2001 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618131655). Per Houghton Mifflin's standard convention of this era, the first printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1; the dust jacket carries the original price. Dealers describe first/first copies consistent with this.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 2001 Houghton Mifflin U.S. edition. Verified against AbeBooks first/first listings.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is a recognized first-edition pitfall for this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Coming Soon!!!: A Narrative* by John Barth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/coming-soon-a-narrative
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.