# Is "The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories" by John Barth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories by John Barth (Houghton Mifflin, 2004) is identified by: edition published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618405666). True first is the 2004 Houghton Mifflin U.S.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First U.S. edition published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618405666)
- First printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1 per Houghton Mifflin convention; the dust jacket carries the original price
- A story collection
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Barth |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First U.S. edition published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618405666) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First U.S. edition published 2004 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618405666). First printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1 per Houghton Mifflin convention; the dust jacket carries the original price. A story collection.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 2004 Houghton Mifflin U.S. edition. Verified against dealer and library records.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue is a recognized first-edition pitfall for this title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Book of Ten Nights and a Night: Eleven Stories* by John Barth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-book-of-ten-nights-and-a-night-eleven-stories
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.