# Is "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life of Pi by Yann Martel (Knopf Canada, 2001) is identified by: Knopf Canada (Toronto), 2001 is the true first (published September 2001). Knopf Canada 2001 (Toronto) is the true first and precedes all.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Knopf Canada (Toronto), 2001 is the true first (published September 2001)
- Copyright-page number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'
- Yellow boards with red spine lettering; the first-issue dust jacket shows the tiger's face and is a priced jacket (price present at the flap); the rear jacket panel carries five review quotes for Martel's earlier novel 'Self'
- The UK Canongate 2002 first — the Booker-winning issue — is collected in its own right but does not precede the Canadian book
- Publisher imprint reads Knopf Canada
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Yann Martel |
| Publisher | Knopf Canada |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Knopf Canada (Toronto), 2001 is the true first (published September 2001) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Knopf Canada (Toronto), 2001 is the true first (published September 2001). Copyright-page number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'. Yellow boards with red spine lettering; the first-issue dust jacket shows the tiger's face and is a priced jacket (price present at the flap); the rear jacket panel carries five review quotes for Martel's earlier novel 'Self' (1996). The UK Canongate 2002 first — the Booker-winning issue — is collected in its own right but does not precede the Canadian book.

## Is this the true first?
Knopf Canada 2001 (Toronto) is the true first and precedes all. Canongate (Edinburgh/London) 2002 is the first UK edition and the Booker Prize issue; Harcourt (US) 2002 is the first American edition. Both the Canadian and the UK firsts are collected — name both — but precedence runs Canada 2001 → UK / US 2002, NOT the other way around.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Canongate and Harcourt firsts are told apart by imprint and 2002 date; later printings by the number line. Booker Prize tie-in bands/stickers and book-club copies are not the true Canadian first. Note that the phrase 'and so it goes with God' (p.350) entered the text only from the third Canadian printing onward — so its PRESENCE indicates a later printing, and its absence must not be treated as a first-edition 'point'.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life of Pi* by Yann Martel a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-of-pi
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.