# Is "Harlem Shuffle" by Colson Whitehead a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday, 2021) is identified by: "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. US Doubleday first edition; a UK Fleet/Little, Brown edition appeared the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
- Published by Doubleday on September 14, 2021
- The dust jacket, designed by Oliver Munday, is unclipped with the printed price intact on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Colson Whitehead |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
"FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with the full number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2. Published by Doubleday on September 14, 2021. The dust jacket, designed by Oliver Munday, is unclipped with the printed price intact on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday first edition; a UK Fleet/Little, Brown edition appeared the same year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Harlem Shuffle* by Colson Whitehead a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/harlem-shuffle
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.