# Is "Lincoln in the Bardo" by George Saunders a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Random House, 2017) is identified by: Copyright page states First Edition with the Random House colophon and a complete number line descending to 1. The US Random House hardcover (February 2017) is the true first; the UK Bloomsbury edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states First Edition with the Random House colophon and a complete number line descending to 1
- The true first jacket carries no Booker Prize award seal, because the book was published in February 2017 and the prize was awarded that October; any award banner or seal therefore indicates a later state or printing
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Saunders |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 2017 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states First Edition with the Random House colophon and a complete number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states First Edition with the Random House colophon and a complete number line descending to 1. The true first jacket carries no Booker Prize award seal, because the book was published in February 2017 and the prize was awarded that October; any award banner or seal therefore indicates a later state or printing.

## Is this the true first?
The US Random House hardcover (February 2017) is the true first; the UK Bloomsbury edition followed. The novel won the 2017 Booker Prize.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; tell the first by the First Edition statement plus a number line to 1 and a jacket without any award seal. Later states add an award banner.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Lincoln in the Bardo* by George Saunders a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/lincoln-in-the-bardo
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.