The points of issue
First printing is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition stating "First Edition" on the copyright page with a number line including the numeral 1. The dust jacket carries the original printed price. Robinson's first work of nonfiction.
Is this the true first?
Both the US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition and the UK Faber and Faber edition appeared in 1989. Precedence between the two could not be established from reliable sources, so neither should be asserted as the definitive true first; the FSG edition is the US first. A National Book Award finalist in nonfiction.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club concern. Later printings indicate a higher printing.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State and Nuclear Pollution a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing is the Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition stating "First Edition" on the copyright page with a number line including the numeral 1. The dust jacket carries the original printed price. Robinson's first work of nonfiction.
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. Both the US Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition and the UK Faber and Faber edition appeared in 1989. Precedence between the two could not be established from reliable sources, so neither should be asserted as the definitive true first; the FSG edition is the US first. A National Book Award finalist in
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club concern. Later printings indicate a higher printing.
I have a first edition of Mother Country: Britain, the Welfare State and Nuclear Pollution — 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.