The points of issue
Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. The Knopf first edition (New York, 2012, ISBN 978-0-375-71225-8) is a clothbound hardcover with dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd; per Knopf practice the copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' accompanied by the Borzoi colophon. Later printings remove the 'FIRST EDITION' line.
Is this the true first?
US Knopf (2012) is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition (2013) is the first English (British) printing.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; later printings drop the 'FIRST EDITION' statement.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Stag's Leap a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Winner of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the T. S. Eliot Prize. The Knopf first edition (New York, 2012, ISBN 978-0-375-71225-8) is a clothbound hardcover with dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd; per Knopf practice the copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' accompanied by the Borzoi colophon. Later printings remove the 'FIRST EDITION' line.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US Knopf (2012) is the true first; the UK Jonathan Cape edition (2013) is the first English (British) printing.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book club edition; later printings drop the 'FIRST EDITION' statement.
I have a first edition of Stag's Leap — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.