# Is "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers" by Mary Roach a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (W. W. Norton & Company, 2003) is identified by: The copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing. The US Norton edition is the true first, preceding the UK (Viking) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing
- ISBN 0-393-05093-9
- W. W. Norton, New York, 2003; red boards
- The first-issue jacket retains its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Roach |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The copyright page carries a full number line counting down to 1, identifying the first printing. ISBN 0-393-05093-9 (9780393050936); W. W. Norton, New York, 2003; red boards. The first-issue jacket retains its printed price on the flap (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
The US Norton edition is the true first, preceding the UK (Viking) edition. Roach's first book and her first first-edition collecting target.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; the usual confusion is with later printings whose number line does not reach 1 (dealers list explicit fifth-printing copies, for example). The full number line to 1 plus the unclipped printed-price jacket identify the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers* by Mary Roach a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers
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.