# Is "The Braindead Megaphone" by George Saunders a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Braindead Megaphone by George Saunders (Riverhead Books, 2007) is identified by: Essay collection issued as a Riverhead trade paperback original (ISBN 9781594482564), identified by the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. US Riverhead trade paperback original is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Essay collection issued as a Riverhead trade paperback original (ISBN 9781594482564), identified by the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- No hardcover first was issued
- Publisher imprint reads Riverhead Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Saunders |
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Essay collection issued as a Riverhead trade paperback original (ISBN 9781594482564)… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Essay collection issued as a Riverhead trade paperback original (ISBN 9781594482564), identified by the full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. No hardcover first was issued.

## Is this the true first?
US Riverhead trade paperback original is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Braindead Megaphone* by George Saunders a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-braindead-megaphone
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.