# Is "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper / HarperCollins, 2022) is identified by: US Harper (HarperCollins) first: the copyright page states FIRST EDITION and carries a full number line descending to 1; first-issue cloth and jacket carry the printed price; published October 2022. The US Harper/HarperCollins 2022 printing is the true first; the stated FIRST EDITION plus a number line ending in 1 confirms it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Harper (HarperCollins) first: the copyright page states FIRST EDITION and carries a full number line descending to 1; first-issue cloth and jacket carry the printed price; published October 2022
- Heavy reprinting followed the book's awards, so true first printings are less common than later states
- The number line descending to 1 is the decisive tell
- Publisher imprint reads Harper / HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Barbara Kingsolver |
| Publisher | Harper / HarperCollins |
| Year | 2022 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Harper (HarperCollins) first: the copyright page states FIRST EDITION and carries a full number line descending to 1; first-issue cloth… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Harper (HarperCollins) first: the copyright page states FIRST EDITION and carries a full number line descending to 1; first-issue cloth and jacket carry the printed price; published October 2022. Heavy reprinting followed the book's awards, so true first printings are less common than later states. The number line descending to 1 is the decisive tell.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harper/HarperCollins 2022 printing is the true first; the stated FIRST EDITION plus a number line ending in 1 confirms it. The UK Faber edition is a separate first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 1 from the number line. The number line ending in 1 is the key identifier given the heavy reprinting after the book won its awards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Demon Copperhead* by Barbara Kingsolver a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/demon-copperhead
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.