# Is "Postcards" by Annie Proulx a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Postcards by Annie Proulx (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1992) is identified by: First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over speckled beige paper boards, spine lettered in gilt; 308 pp.; illustrated dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped. US Scribner's is the true first; the UK 4th Estate edition (1993) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over speckled beige paper boards, spine lettered in gilt
- 308 pp.; illustrated dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped
- Proulx's first novel (after the story collection Heart Songs) and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Annie Proulx |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over speckled beige paper boards, spine… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing with the Scribner number line and no later-printing statement; quarter brown cloth over speckled beige paper boards, spine lettered in gilt; 308 pp.; illustrated dust jacket bearing the printed price, unclipped. Proulx's first novel (after the story collection Heart Songs) and winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner's is the true first; the UK 4th Estate edition (1993) follows. Genuine firsts in a fine, unclipped jacket are the desirable state. The byline reads "E. Annie Proulx."

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition issue; later printings carry a printing statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Postcards* by Annie Proulx a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/postcards-annie-proulx
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.