The points of issue
Story collection in hardcover, boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket. First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1.
Is this the true first?
UK Viking (2008) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition (2009).
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings can be identified by the lowest number in the line being higher than 1.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Story collection in hardcover, boards with gilt-lettered spine and pictorial jacket. First printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1.
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. UK Viking (2008) is the true first and precedes the US Bloomsbury USA edition (2009).
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later printings can be identified by the lowest number in the line being higher than 1.
I have a first edition of Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes — 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.