# Is "Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness" by George Saunders a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness by George Saunders (Random House, 2014) is identified by: Small gift hardcover of his 2013 Syracuse convocation address (ISBN 9780812996272). US Random House hardcover of 2014 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Small gift hardcover of his 2013 Syracuse convocation address (ISBN 9780812996272)
- First edition identified by the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line ending in 1
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Saunders |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Small gift hardcover of his 2013 Syracuse convocation address (ISBN 9780812996272) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Small gift hardcover of his 2013 Syracuse convocation address (ISBN 9780812996272). First edition identified by the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line ending in 1.

## Is this the true first?
US Random House hardcover of 2014 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Congratulations, by the way: Some Thoughts on Kindness* by George Saunders a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/congratulations-by-the-way-some-thoughts-on-kindness
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.