# Is "Rusty Brown" by Chris Ware a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rusty Brown by Chris Ware (Pantheon Books, 2019) is identified by: First book edition, Pantheon, 2019, stated First Edition with number line ending in 1. First book edition 2019; portions previously appeared in the Acme Novelty Library.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First book edition, Pantheon, 2019, stated First Edition with number line ending in 1
- Quarter cloth over pictorial boards; dust jacket unfolds into a large illustrated poster as issued
- Collects and expands earlier Acme Novelty Library material
- Correct publisher/imprint: Pantheon Books

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Chris Ware |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | world edition |
| Format | Comic / graphic novel |
| Key point | First book edition, Pantheon, 2019, stated First Edition with number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First book edition, Pantheon, 2019, stated First Edition with number line ending in 1. Quarter cloth over pictorial boards; dust jacket unfolds into a large illustrated poster as issued. Collects and expands earlier Acme Novelty Library material.

## Is this the true first?
First book edition 2019; portions previously appeared in the Acme Novelty Library.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are numbered accordingly.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rusty Brown* by Chris Ware a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rusty-brown
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.