# Is "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2004) is identified by: Copyright page states "First edition, 2004" with a full FSG number line beginning with 1. The US FSG printing is the true first; the UK Virago edition (2005) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states "First edition, 2004" with a full FSG number line beginning with 1
- Bound in quarter cloth
- First-state jacket carries the printed price and no Pulitzer announcement printed on it
- Published well after Robinson's debut, Housekeeping
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Marilynne Robinson |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states "First edition, 2004" with a full FSG number line beginning with 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states "First edition, 2004" with a full FSG number line beginning with 1. Bound in quarter cloth. First-state jacket carries the printed price and no Pulitzer announcement printed on it. Published well after Robinson's debut, Housekeeping.

## Is this the true first?
The US FSG printing is the true first; the UK Virago edition (2005) follows. Signed copies are sought after.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings state a higher printing number and shorten the number line; later-state jackets may add the Pulitzer win. The true first has the complete number line beginning with 1 and a clean first-state jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gilead* by Marilynne Robinson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gilead
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.