# Is "Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth" by Chris Ware a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth by Chris Ware (Pantheon Books, 2000) is identified by: First book edition (collecting the ACME Novelty Library serial), Pantheon, New York, September 2000, oversized hardcover with illustrated paper-covered boards and dust jacket, ISBN 0-375-40453-8 (9780375404535), 380 pp. US true first of the collected work; won the 2001 Guardian First Book Award, the first graphic novel to take a major UK book prize.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book edition (collecting the ACME Novelty Library serial), Pantheon, New York, September 2000, oversized hardcover with illustrated paper-covered boards and dust jacket, ISBN 0-375-40453-8
- Elaborately printed Ware design with a dense copyright page; first-printing copies retain the original Pantheon jacket with price
- Correct publisher/imprint: Pantheon Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chris Ware |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First book edition (collecting the ACME Novelty Library serial), Pantheon, New York, September 2000, oversized hardcover with illustrated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First book edition (collecting the ACME Novelty Library serial), Pantheon, New York, September 2000, oversized hardcover with illustrated paper-covered boards and dust jacket, ISBN 0-375-40453-8 (9780375404535), 380 pp. Elaborately printed Ware design with a dense copyright page; first-printing copies retain the original Pantheon jacket with price.

## Is this the true first?
US true first of the collected work; won the 2001 Guardian First Book Award, the first graphic novel to take a major UK book prize. The underlying ACME Novelty Library issues (Fantagraphics, 1990s) are the serial first appearances. The Pantheon 2000 hardcover is the first collected book edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later Pantheon printings differ in the printing line and may lack the original jacket price. Verify the 2000 first printing and the original-price jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth* by Chris Ware a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jimmy-corrigan-the-smartest-kid-on-earth
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.