# Is "The Calcutta Chromosome" by Amitav Ghosh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh (Ravi Dayal Publisher, 1995) is identified by: Indian first edition, Ravi Dayal Publisher (Delhi), 1995, hardcover in dust jacket. The Ravi Dayal Indian edition (1995) precedes the UK Picador (1996) and US Avon editions and is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Indian first edition, Ravi Dayal Publisher (Delhi), 1995, hardcover in dust jacket
- UK Picador and US Avon editions followed in 1996
- The Ravi Dayal Indian first is markedly scarcer than the Western editions
- Publisher imprint reads Ravi Dayal Publisher
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Amitav Ghosh |
| Publisher | Ravi Dayal Publisher |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Indian first edition, Ravi Dayal Publisher (Delhi), 1995, hardcover in dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Indian first edition, Ravi Dayal Publisher (Delhi), 1995, hardcover in dust jacket. UK Picador and US Avon editions followed in 1996. The Ravi Dayal Indian first is markedly scarcer than the Western editions.

## Is this the true first?
The Ravi Dayal Indian edition (1995) precedes the UK Picador (1996) and US Avon editions and is the true first. Winner of the 1997 Arthur C. Clarke Award. Ravi Dayal was Ghosh's Indian publisher of the period; 'Picador India' is not the correct first-edition imprint for the original Indian issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The UK Picador and US Avon editions are 'first thus' for their territories, not the true first; later reissues are reprints. Sources place the Ravi Dayal Indian edition in 1995; precise month-level precedence against the 1996 Western editions should be confirmed copy-in-hand.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Calcutta Chromosome* by Amitav Ghosh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-calcutta-chromosome
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.