The points of issue
Danticat's story collection and National Book Award finalist, published by Soho Press, New York, 1995 (ISBN 1-56947-025-1). The first edition/first printing is the hardcover with a complete descending number line on the copyright page; the binding is quarter purple/blue paper-covered boards, gilt spine lettering, in the original black pictorial jacket designed by Royce M. Becker. The copyright page carries the cumulative copyright dates 1991 through 1995.
Is this the true first?
The US Soho Press 1995 hardcover is the true first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show an incomplete number line; Soho also issued a simultaneous paperback, which is a distinct issue from the hardcover first and is not the collected first.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Krik? Krak! a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Danticat's story collection and National Book Award finalist, published by Soho Press, New York, 1995 (ISBN 1-56947-025-1). The first edition/first printing is the hardcover with a complete descending number line on the copyright page; the binding is quarter purple/blue paper-covered boards, gilt spine lettering, in the original black pictorial jacket designed by Royce M. Becker. The copyright page carries the cumulative copyright dates 1991 through 1995.
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 Soho Press 1995 hardcover is the true first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings show an incomplete number line; Soho also issued a simultaneous paperback, which is a distinct issue from the hardcover first and is not the collected first.
I have a first edition of Krik? Krak! — 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.