# Is "Salvage the Bones" by Jesmyn Ward a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Bloomsbury, 2011) is identified by: Copyright page reads 'First U.S. The US Bloomsbury edition (2011) is the true first; it won the 2011 National Book Award.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page reads 'First U.S. edition 2011' with a complete number line ending in 1; bound in white boards stamped in black with a green, black and white dust jacket carrying the printed price
- Issued before Ward's wider fame; first printing modest
- Publisher imprint reads Bloomsbury
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jesmyn Ward |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page reads 'First U.S. edition 2011' with a complete number line ending in 1; bound in white boards stamped in black with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page reads 'First U.S. edition 2011' with a complete number line ending in 1; bound in white boards stamped in black with a green, black and white dust jacket carrying the printed price. Issued before Ward's wider fame; first printing modest.

## Is this the true first?
The US Bloomsbury edition (2011) is the true first; it won the 2011 National Book Award. As the earliest of Ward's award-winning novels with a small print run, the first printing is scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; confirm via the 'First U.S. edition 2011' statement and the number line to 1. Post-award printings drop the trailing numbers and add National Book Award winner blurbs.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Salvage the Bones* by Jesmyn Ward a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/salvage-the-bones
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.