# Is "Normal People" by Sally Rooney a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Normal People by Sally Rooney (Faber & Faber, 2018) is identified by: UK Faber trade first: copyright page reads "First published in 2018" with a full number line down to 1, issued in a dust wrapper, and with NO Man Booker Prize longlist credit on the copyright page (later printings add it). UK Faber (August/September 2018) is the true first and precedes the US Hogarth/Crown edition (2019).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Faber trade first: copyright page reads "First published in 2018" with a full number line down to 1, issued in a dust wrapper, and with NO Man Booker Prize longlist credit on the copyright page (later printings add it)
- ISBN 9780571334650
- Do not confuse the standard jacketed trade first with the simultaneous Waterstones exclusive, which was issued without a dust jacket and in a different binding
- Publisher imprint reads Faber & Faber
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sally Rooney |
| Publisher | Faber & Faber |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Faber trade first: copyright page reads "First published in 2018" with a full number line down to 1, issued in a dust wrapper, and with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK Faber trade first: copyright page reads "First published in 2018" with a full number line down to 1, issued in a dust wrapper, and with NO Man Booker Prize longlist credit on the copyright page (later printings add it). ISBN 9780571334650. Do not confuse the standard jacketed trade first with the simultaneous Waterstones exclusive, which was issued without a dust jacket and in a different binding.

## Is this the true first?
UK Faber (August/September 2018) is the true first and precedes the US Hogarth/Crown edition (2019). The UK trade first is the sought issue; signed copies (Rooney signs sparingly) carry a strong premium.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition issue; later printings drop the 1 and add the Man Booker Prize longlist line. Do not mistake the 2019 US Hogarth edition for the true first — it is a first American only.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Normal People* by Sally Rooney a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/normal-people
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.