# Is "Crossroads" by Jonathan Franzen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021) is identified by: Stated 'First edition, 2021' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1. US FSG first edition; the UK Fourth Estate edition was also published in October 2021, so the two are near-simultaneous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First edition, 2021' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1
- Published by FSG on October 5, 2021; a substantial novel of 580 numbered pages, the first volume of the 'A Key to All Mythologies' trilogy
- Bound in one-piece dark gray-green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine
- First-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped, on a true first-issue jacket)
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Franzen |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First edition, 2021' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First edition, 2021' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1. Published by FSG on October 5, 2021; a substantial novel of 580 numbered pages, the first volume of the 'A Key to All Mythologies' trilogy. Bound in one-piece dark gray-green cloth with gilt lettering to the spine. First-state jacket carries the printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped, on a true first-issue jacket).

## Is this the true first?
US FSG first edition; the UK Fourth Estate edition was also published in October 2021, so the two are near-simultaneous. Collectors treat the US FSG as the primary first.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Crossroads* by Jonathan Franzen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/crossroads
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.