# Is "Facing the Music" by Larry Brown a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Facing the Music by Larry Brown (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1988) is identified by: Small octavo, 167 pp.; First Edition / First Printing stated on the copyright page; original price unclipped on the front jacket flap (ISBN 0912697911 / 9780912697918). The US Algonquin 1988 edition is the true first; this is Brown's debut, preceding the novel Dirty Work (1989).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Small octavo, 167 pp.; First Edition / First Printing stated on the copyright page; original price unclipped on the front jacket flap (ISBN 0912697911 / 9780912697918)
- Brown's first book, a collection of ten stories
- Publisher imprint reads Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry Brown |
| Publisher | Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill |
| Year | 1988 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Small octavo, 167 pp.; First Edition / First Printing stated on the copyright page; original price unclipped on the front jacket flap (ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Small octavo, 167 pp.; First Edition / First Printing stated on the copyright page; original price unclipped on the front jacket flap (ISBN 0912697911 / 9780912697918). Brown's first book, a collection of ten stories.

## Is this the true first?
The US Algonquin 1988 edition is the true first; this is Brown's debut, preceding the novel Dirty Work (1989).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition; later printings and paperbacks state a reprint and lack the first-issue stated First Printing and original flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Facing the Music* by Larry Brown a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/facing-the-music
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.