Is My Smilla's Sense of Snow a First Edition?

The points of issue

• World true first is the Danish original, Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (Rosinante, Copenhagen, 1992)
• The English firsts diverge by title AND by text
• The US first is Smilla's Sense of Snow (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1993), translated by Tiina Nunnally under her own name; the FSG first printing is identified by FSG's 'First edition' statement with a number line ending in 1
• The UK first is Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (Harvill, London, 1993), whose translation is credited to 'F. David' — a pseudonym of Tiina Nunnally, who disowned the UK credit because Harvill's editing (restoring Høeg's deliberately awkward style that her US text had smoothed) departed from her preferred version
• So the two English editions differ in title, credited translator, and readable text

How Farrar, Straus and Giroux marked a first edition

• ERA 1 - Farrar, Straus and Company (founding, c.1945/46-1950): No number line and no consistent 'First Edition' statement. Identify a first printing by the stylized interlocked 'FS' publisher's device on the copyright pa…
• ERA 3 - Farrar, Straus and Cudahy (1953-1963): Imprint line reads 'Farrar, Straus and Cudahy' after the 1953 Pellegrini & Cudahy merger. First printings state 'First Printing (year)' or 'First Published (year)' on the co…

Full Farrar, Straus and Giroux first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Precedence: the Danish original (Rosinante, 1992) is the world first. The US (FSG) and UK (Harvill) English firsts are both 1993 and carry DIFFERENT TITLES and different translation credits — each is the first for its own market. The sources consulted do not establish which of the two 1993 English editions physically appeared first, so neither is asserted to precede the other.P-037095

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Confirm each market's first by imprint, title, translator credit, and first-printing statement: US = Smilla's Sense of Snow / FSG / Tiina Nunnally; UK = Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow / Harvill / 'F. David.' Club editions lack the priced jacket and carry club indicia.P-037096

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Smilla's Sense of Snow a first edition?

A first edition of Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is identified by: World true first is the Danish original, Frøken Smillas fornemmelse for sne (Rosinante, Copenhagen, 1992).

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). Precedence: the Danish original (Rosinante, 1992) is the world first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Confirm each market's first by imprint, title, translator credit, and first-printing statement: US = Smilla's Sense of Snow / FSG / Tiina Nunnally; UK = Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow / Harvill / 'F. David.' Club editions lack the priced jacket and carry club indicia.

I have a first edition of Smilla's Sense of Snow — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.