# Is "Shuggie Bain" by Douglas Stuart a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart (Grove Press / Picador, 2020) is identified by: US Grove Press first, published 11 February 2020: copyright page with Grove statement and a number line to 1; first-state jacket without a Booker seal. The US Grove Press hardcover (11 February 2020) is the true first, preceding the UK Picador editions; the Picador hardcover (August 2020) is the 2020 Booker-winning issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Grove Press first, published 11 February 2020: copyright page with Grove statement and a number line to 1; first-state jacket without a Booker seal
- The UK Picador edition followed (open-market paperback February 2020; hardcover August 2020) and is the Booker-winning issue
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press / Picador
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Douglas Stuart |
| Publisher | Grove Press / Picador |
| Year | 2020 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Grove Press first, published 11 February 2020: copyright page with Grove statement and a number line to 1; first-state jacket without a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
US Grove Press first, published 11 February 2020: copyright page with Grove statement and a number line to 1; first-state jacket without a Booker seal. The UK Picador edition followed (open-market paperback February 2020; hardcover August 2020) and is the Booker-winning issue.

## Is this the true first?
The US Grove Press hardcover (11 February 2020) is the true first, preceding the UK Picador editions; the Picador hardcover (August 2020) is the 2020 Booker-winning issue. Debut novel; collectors distinguish the US true first from the Booker-winning UK Picador first. Both are sought.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. The US Grove first-state jacket lacks any Booker seal; later UK Picador states carry the Booker medallion.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shuggie Bain* by Douglas Stuart a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shuggie-bain
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.