# Is "Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan Safran Foer a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer (Houghton Mifflin, 2002) is identified by: Houghton Mifflin, 2002, first edition, first printing, identified by a solitary '1' on the copyright page (a single terminal '1' rather than a long stated line). The US Houghton Mifflin hardcover is the true first; the UK Hamish Hamilton edition follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Houghton Mifflin, 2002, first edition, first printing, identified by a solitary '1' on the copyright page (a single terminal '1' rather than a long stated line)
- Bound in black boards; issued in a black-and-white photographic dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap (present regardless of any clipping)
- 276 pages
- Foer's debut novel
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Safran Foer |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Houghton Mifflin, 2002, first edition, first printing, identified by a solitary '1' on the copyright page (a single terminal '1' rather… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Houghton Mifflin, 2002, first edition, first printing, identified by a solitary '1' on the copyright page (a single terminal '1' rather than a long stated line). Bound in black boards; issued in a black-and-white photographic dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap (present regardless of any clipping); 276 pages. Foer's debut novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Houghton Mifflin hardcover is the true first; the UK Hamish Hamilton edition follows. The hardcover first precedes the trade-paperback reprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; later hardcover printings advance the number sequence, and reprints appear under paperback imprints such as Perennial/Harper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Everything Is Illuminated* by Jonathan Safran Foer a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/everything-is-illuminated
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.