# Is "Intimations: Six Essays" by Zadie Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Intimations: Six Essays by Zadie Smith (Penguin, 2020) is identified by: Slim collection of six essays written during the early COVID-19 lockdown; issued as a paperback original in wrappers with the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page. Issued as paperback originals on both sides of the Atlantic in 2020; the US Penguin Books printing (late July) slightly preceded the UK Penguin printing (early August), but the two are effectively contemporaneous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Slim collection of six essays written during the early COVID-19 lockdown; issued as a paperback original in wrappers with the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Penguin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zadie Smith |
| Publisher | Penguin |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Slim collection of six essays written during the early COVID-19 lockdown; issued as a paperback original in wrappers with the full number… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Slim collection of six essays written during the early COVID-19 lockdown; issued as a paperback original in wrappers with the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
Issued as paperback originals on both sides of the Atlantic in 2020; the US Penguin Books printing (late July) slightly preceded the UK Penguin printing (early August), but the two are effectively contemporaneous.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No hardcover first edition; later printings show a number line that no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Intimations: Six Essays* by Zadie Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/intimations-six-essays
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.