# Is "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari (Harvill Secker, 2014 (English) — Hebrew original 2011) is identified by: English first edition, first printing: Harvill Secker, London, 2014, with full number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (the '1' present) on the copyright page. True first overall is the 2011 Hebrew edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- English first edition, first printing: Harvill Secker, London, 2014, with full number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (the '1' present) on the copyright page
- The US Harper edition
- The original Hebrew edition ('Kitzur Toldot Ha-Enoshut,' 2011) predates all English printings
- Publisher imprint reads Harvill Secker
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Yuval Noah Harari |
| Publisher | Harvill Secker |
| Year | 2014 (English) — Hebrew original 2011 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | English first edition, first printing: Harvill Secker, London, 2014, with full number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (the '1' present) on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
English first edition, first printing: Harvill Secker, London, 2014, with full number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' (the '1' present) on the copyright page. The US Harper edition (2015) is later. The original Hebrew edition ('Kitzur Toldot Ha-Enoshut,' 2011) predates all English printings.

## Is this the true first?
True first overall is the 2011 Hebrew edition. The first English edition is the 2014 Harvill Secker (UK), preceding the 2015 US Harper edition. Collectors of the English first want the 2014 Harvill Secker with the '1' in the number line.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No traditional book-club issue; the main pitfall is treating the 2015 US Harper edition as the first English (it is not) or a later UK printing (shortened number line) as a first. Verify the 2014 date and complete number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind* by Yuval Noah Harari a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sapiens-a-brief-history-of-humankind
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.