The points of issue
Number line beginning with 1 on the copyright page; Counterpoint imprint; dust jacket with the printed price present on the flap.
Is this the true first?
The US Counterpoint hardcover of 2017 is the true first. It won both the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book-club issue identified; confirm the Counterpoint first-printing number line beginning with 1.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Improvement a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Number line beginning with 1 on the copyright page; Counterpoint imprint; dust jacket with the printed price present on the flap.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The US Counterpoint hardcover of 2017 is the true first. It won both the 2018 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No major book-club issue identified; confirm the Counterpoint first-printing number line beginning with 1.
I have a first edition of Improvement — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.