# Is "How to Be Both" by Ali Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of How to Be Both by Ali Smith (Hamish Hamilton, 2014) is identified by: Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 2014 is the true first, preceding the US Pantheon edition of 2014.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket
- First impression carries a complete number line ending in 1
- Issued in two variant printings with the book's two halves in reversed order; the two states are distinguished by a small icon on the cover and title page (an eye for the half that opens with the Renaissance painter, a camera for the half that opens with the contemporary teenager)
- Both variants are legitimate firsts
- Publisher imprint reads Hamish Hamilton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ali Smith |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
| Year | 2014 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Hardback in boards with gilt spine lettering, in dust jacket. First impression carries a complete number line ending in 1. Issued in two variant printings with the book's two halves in reversed order; the two states are distinguished by a small icon on the cover and title page (an eye for the half that opens with the Renaissance painter, a camera for the half that opens with the contemporary teenager). Both variants are legitimate firsts.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Hamish Hamilton edition of 2014 is the true first, preceding the US Pantheon edition of 2014. Both the eye-icon and camera-icon orderings are first-printing variants of equal standing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions are indicated by a number line that no longer ends in 1; both ordering variants are genuine firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *How to Be Both* by Ali Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/how-to-be-both
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.