# Is "Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981–1991" by Salman Rushdie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981–1991 by Salman Rushdie (Granta Books in association with Penguin, 1991) is identified by: Granta Books in association with Penguin, London, 1991, first edition, first printing. The UK Granta first edition (1991) precedes the US Viking edition (1991) and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Granta Books in association with Penguin, London, 1991, first edition, first printing
- Collected essays and criticism in black cloth-covered boards with silver spine lettering and grey-blue endpapers; the copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first printing)
- The dust jacket should carry its printed net price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Granta Books in association with Penguin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Salman Rushdie |
| Publisher | Granta Books in association with Penguin |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Granta Books in association with Penguin, London, 1991, first edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Granta Books in association with Penguin, London, 1991, first edition, first printing. Collected essays and criticism in black cloth-covered boards with silver spine lettering and grey-blue endpapers; the copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1 (first printing). The dust jacket should carry its printed net price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Granta first edition (1991) precedes the US Viking edition (1991) and is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings add a printing statement or remove the 1 from the number line. The 1991 US Viking issue is a separate edition rather than the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Imaginary Homelands: Essays and Criticism 1981–1991* by Salman Rushdie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/imaginary-homelands-essays-and-criticism-1981-1991
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.