# Is "Life" by Gwyneth Jones a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life by Gwyneth Jones (Aqueduct Press, 2004) is identified by: US Aqueduct Press trade paperback original, 2004 (ISBN 0-9746559-2-9); first printing, roughly 370 pages. The US Aqueduct Press 2004 trade paperback is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Aqueduct Press trade paperback original, 2004 (ISBN 0-9746559-2-9); first printing, roughly 370 pages
- A full-length standalone novel of the scientist Anna Senoz, issued as a full-size trade paperback distinct from Aqueduct's short-form Conversation Pieces chapbook series
- The copyright page carries the Aqueduct Press imprint with the 2004 date
- Publisher imprint reads Aqueduct Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gwyneth Jones |
| Publisher | Aqueduct Press |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Aqueduct Press trade paperback original, 2004 (ISBN 0-9746559-2-9); first printing, roughly 370 pages |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Aqueduct Press trade paperback original, 2004 (ISBN 0-9746559-2-9); first printing, roughly 370 pages. A full-length standalone novel of the scientist Anna Senoz, issued as a full-size trade paperback distinct from Aqueduct's short-form Conversation Pieces chapbook series. The copyright page carries the Aqueduct Press imprint with the 2004 date.

## Is this the true first?
The US Aqueduct Press 2004 trade paperback is the true first edition. It won the Philip K. Dick Award presented at Norwescon in 2005 for works published in 2004. A scarce small-press original from an independent feminist science-fiction publisher.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reissues are reprints; there is no book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life* by Gwyneth Jones a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-gwyneth-jones
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.