# Is "Feel Free: Essays" by Zadie Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith (Penguin Press, 2018) is identified by: Essay collection arranged in five sections. Precedence corrected.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Essay collection arranged in five sections
- The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards in dust jacket
- The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a closely contemporaneous but slightly later issue
- Publisher imprint reads Penguin Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zadie Smith |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Essay collection arranged in five sections |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Essay collection arranged in five sections. The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; cloth-backed boards in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a closely contemporaneous but slightly later issue.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence corrected. The US Penguin Press edition (around 6 February 2018) preceded the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (8 February 2018) by a couple of days, making the US printing the true first. The two are very close, so both should be regarded as significant.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Feel Free: Essays* by Zadie Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/feel-free-essays
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.