# Is "The Caprices" by Sabina Murray a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Caprices by Sabina Murray (Mariner / Houghton Mifflin, 2002) is identified by: Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin) trade paperback original, 2002 (ISBN 061809525X). The US Mariner trade paperback original (2002) is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin) trade paperback original, 2002 (ISBN 061809525X)
- Issued as a paperback original with no preceding hardcover; verify the Mariner imprint and the number line on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Mariner / Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sabina Murray |
| Publisher | Mariner / Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin) trade paperback original, 2002 (ISBN 061809525X) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Mariner Books (Houghton Mifflin) trade paperback original, 2002 (ISBN 061809525X). Issued as a paperback original with no preceding hardcover; verify the Mariner imprint and the number line on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The US Mariner trade paperback original (2002) is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover. It won the PEN/Faulkner Award (announced in 2003 for the 2002 book).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No hardcover or book-club state exists; the paperback original is itself the first edition. Confirm the Mariner imprint and number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Caprices* by Sabina Murray a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-caprices
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.