# Is "Grand Union: Stories" by Zadie Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Grand Union: Stories by Zadie Smith (Hamish Hamilton, 2019) is identified by: Zadie Smith's first short-story collection (nineteen stories). UK Hamish Hamilton (3 October 2019) precedes US Penguin Press (8 October 2019), so the UK printing is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Zadie Smith's first short-story collection (nineteen stories)
- UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover, ISBN 9780241337028, with the publisher's number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in a pictorial dust jacket bearing the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zadie Smith |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Zadie Smith's first short-story collection (nineteen stories) |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Zadie Smith's first short-story collection (nineteen stories). UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover, ISBN 9780241337028, with the publisher's number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in a pictorial dust jacket bearing the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
UK Hamish Hamilton (3 October 2019) precedes US Penguin Press (8 October 2019), so the UK printing is the true first. Confirm the first printing by the number line terminating in 1.

## 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 *Grand Union: Stories* by Zadie Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/grand-union-stories
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.