# Is "The Bear Comes Home" by Rafi Zabor a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bear Comes Home by Rafi Zabor (W. W. Norton, 1997) is identified by: Norton hardcover, 1997 (ISBN 0393040372). The US Norton hardcover (1997) is the true first of this debut novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- W. W. Norton hardcover, 1997 (ISBN 0393040372)
- First printing carries the Norton imprint and a complete number line on the copyright page, with the price printed on the dust jacket flap
- The first printing was reportedly small
- Publisher imprint reads W. W. Norton
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rafi Zabor |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | W. W. Norton hardcover, 1997 (ISBN 0393040372) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
W. W. Norton hardcover, 1997 (ISBN 0393040372). First printing carries the Norton imprint and a complete number line on the copyright page, with the price printed on the dust jacket flap. The first printing was reportedly small.

## Is this the true first?
The US Norton hardcover (1997) is the true first of this debut novel. It won the 1998 PEN/Faulkner Award.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club issue identified. Confirm the Norton number line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bear Comes Home* by Rafi Zabor a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bear-comes-home
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.