The points of issue
Collected essays and nonfiction. Hardback in boards with gilt-lettered spine, issued in dust jacket. First edition, first impression has the full number line; later printings state the impression.
Is this the true first?
The UK Jonathan Cape edition (28 November 2002, ISBN 0224061607) and the US Random House edition (2002) are close in date; the Cape printing is the standard UK first. No firm UK-over-US precedence is asserted.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later impressions state the impression on the copyright page; the true first shows the complete number line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Step Across This Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992–2002 a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Collected essays and nonfiction. Hardback in boards with gilt-lettered spine, issued in dust jacket. First edition, first impression has the full number line; later printings state the impression.
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. The UK Jonathan Cape edition (28 November 2002, ISBN 0224061607) and the US Random House edition (2002) are close in date; the Cape printing is the standard UK first. No firm UK-over-US precedence is asserted.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Later impressions state the impression on the copyright page; the true first shows the complete number line.
I have a first edition of Step Across This Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992–2002 — 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.