Is My Copy of My Year of Rest and Relaxation a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Penguin Press, New York, published the novel in hardcover on 10 July 2018 (ISBN 9780525522119, 289 pp.), two days ahead of the UK issue
• Penguin Press does not print an edition statement; the first printing is identified solely by the full number line on the copyright page ending in 1 — dealer descriptions consistently key the point as "complete number line including the 1," and any copy with the 1 removed is a later printing
• The Penguin Press issue is the only hardcover first: the Jonathan Cape UK issue of 12 July 2018 (ISBN 9781787330412) and the subsequent Vintage issues (2019, 2021) are softcover, so a collector seeking a hardcover first has one option and one only
• Refer to jacket price only as priced jacket / price present at the flap; an unclipped flap is the desirable state
• Signed copies from the 2018 tour are typically signed to the title page

How Penguin Press marked a first edition

• For reprint titles, firsts are flagged "First published [elsewhere/date]" with the Penguin printing noted as "Published in Penguin Books [Year]" — the FIRST PENGUIN PRINTING is identified by 'Published in Penguin Books […
• Penguin paperback originals: first printing identified by the dated 'Published... [year]' line and absence of a 'Reprinted' line

Full Penguin Press first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

True first: Penguin Press, New York, 10 July 2018 — the US issue precedes the UK by two days and is the true first in every sense. Jonathan Cape, London, 12 July 2018 is the UK first but is a paperback issue, which is why it is not the collected first and is not a rival to the American hardcover. Name the US issue as the first and the Cape issue only as the UK first paperback. Trap: the later Vintage "Vintage Heroines" issue (ISBN 9781784877477) and the 2024 Cape reissue are first-thus only.P-043283

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is documented for the 2018 first printing. Reprint tells: the title reprinted very heavily after its 2021–22 social-media revival, so surviving copies are overwhelmingly later Penguin Press printings — check the number line before anything else, since jacket, boards and text are unchanged across printings and a later printing is visually identical. Remainder marks to the bottom edge and clipped jacket flaps indicate trade returns, not points of issue. Later Penguin Press printings sometimes add review-quotation leaves not present in the first.P-043284

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of My Year of Rest and Relaxation a first edition?

A first edition of My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh (Penguin Press) is identified by: Penguin Press, New York, published the novel in hardcover on 10 July 2018 (ISBN 9780525522119, 289 pp.), two days ahead of the UK issue.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). True first: Penguin Press, New York, 10 July 2018 — the US issue precedes the UK by two days and is the true first in every sense.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is documented for the 2018 first printing. Reprint tells: the title reprinted very heavily after its 2021–22 social-media revival, so surviving copies are overwhelmingly later Penguin Press printings — check the number line before anything else, since jacket, boards and text are unchanged across printings and a later printing is visually identical. Remainder marks to the bottom edge and clipped jacket flaps indicate trade returns, not points of issue.

I have a first edition of My Year of Rest and Relaxation — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.