# Is "Down the River Unto the Sea" by Walter Mosley a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Down the River Unto the Sea by Walter Mosley (Mulholland Books, 2018) is identified by: First printing has 'First Edition' stated with a number line ending in 1, and the first-issue jacket shows the printed retail price. The US Mulholland Books edition (February 2018) is the true first; the UK Weidenfeld and Nicolson edition appeared the same year and is roughly contemporaneous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has 'First Edition' stated with a number line ending in 1, and the first-issue jacket shows the printed retail price
- Won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2019
- Publisher imprint reads Mulholland Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Walter Mosley |
| Publisher | Mulholland Books |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has 'First Edition' stated with a number line ending in 1, and the first-issue jacket shows the printed retail price |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has 'First Edition' stated with a number line ending in 1, and the first-issue jacket shows the printed retail price. Won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2019.

## Is this the true first?
The US Mulholland Books edition (February 2018) is the true first; the UK Weidenfeld and Nicolson edition appeared the same year and is roughly contemporaneous.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No meaningful book-club edition; later printings advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Down the River Unto the Sea* by Walter Mosley a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/down-the-river-unto-the-sea
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.