# Is "Stepmother" by Robert Coover a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stepmother by Robert Coover (McSweeney's, 2004) is identified by: First McSweeney's edition (2004), illustrated by Michael Kupperman. True first is the 2004 McSweeney's Books edition (San Francisco).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First McSweeney's edition
- , illustrated by Michael Kupperman
- Bound in soft cloth with metallic stamping and issued without a dust jacket
- A novella
- Identification rests on the McSweeney's binding and design rather than a number line, as these titles are typically single-printing objects
- Publisher imprint reads McSweeney's
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Coover |
| Publisher | McSweeney's |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First McSweeney's edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First McSweeney's edition (2004), illustrated by Michael Kupperman. Bound in soft cloth with metallic stamping and issued without a dust jacket; 90 pages. A novella. Identification rests on the McSweeney's binding and design rather than a number line, as these titles are typically single-printing objects.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 2004 McSweeney's Books edition (San Francisco).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stepmother* by Robert Coover a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stepmother
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.