# Is "Let Us Descend" by Jesmyn Ward a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (Scribner, 2023) is identified by: First Scribner hardcover edition, published October 24, 2023 (ISBN 9781982104498), with First Edition stated on the copyright page above a full number line ending in 1. The US Scribner hardcover is the first edition; the UK Bloomsbury hardcover appeared in the same October 2023 window, so US and UK firsts are effectively concurrent.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Scribner hardcover edition, published October 24, 2023 (ISBN 9781982104498), with First Edition stated on the copyright page above a full number line ending in 1
- The unbranded first trade printing carries the pictorial dust jacket with the printed cover price present and unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jesmyn Ward |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Scribner hardcover edition, published October 24, 2023 (ISBN 9781982104498), with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Scribner hardcover edition, published October 24, 2023 (ISBN 9781982104498), with First Edition stated on the copyright page above a full number line ending in 1. The unbranded first trade printing carries the pictorial dust jacket with the printed cover price present and unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The US Scribner hardcover is the first edition; the UK Bloomsbury hardcover appeared in the same October 2023 window, so US and UK firsts are effectively concurrent. Let Us Descend was an Oprah's Book Club selection, and the true first trade printing precedes any Oprah-branded printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Oprah's Book Club printings carry the printed seal on the jacket and are later than the unbranded first printing; watch also for a number line no longer ending in 1 on subsequent printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Let Us Descend* by Jesmyn Ward a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/let-us-descend
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.