# Is "Gulag: A History" by Anne Applebaum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum (Doubleday, 2003) is identified by: Cloth or cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full descending number line, and the first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the flap. US Doubleday (New York) true first, ISBN 0-767-90056-1; the UK Allen Lane / Penguin edition (titled 'Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps', ISBN 0-713-99322-7) followed in 2003.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cloth or cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full descending number line, and the first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the flap
- The volume runs 677 pages and is illustrated
- Published by Doubleday, New York, April 2003
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Anne Applebaum |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cloth or cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full descending number line, and the first-state dust jacket… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Cloth or cloth-backed boards; the copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full descending number line, and the first-state dust jacket carries its printed price on the flap. The volume runs 677 pages and is illustrated. Published by Doubleday, New York, April 2003.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday (New York) true first, ISBN 0-767-90056-1; the UK Allen Lane / Penguin edition (titled 'Gulag: A History of the Soviet Camps', ISBN 0-713-99322-7) followed in 2003. Won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the 2004 Duff Cooper Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm both the 'First Edition' statement and the complete number line on the copyright page; book-club issues lack the printed jacket price and are typically thinner, blindstamped, and without the ISBN on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gulag: A History* by Anne Applebaum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gulag-a-history
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.