The points of issue
True first is the Underwood-Miller (Pendragon Press) edition: a clothbound issue limited to 550 numbered copies signed by Le Guin, with a bound-in limitation page and Thomas Canty artwork, issued mid-1982 (ISBN 0-934438-60-9). The Harper & Row trade hardcover, with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page in a priced jacket, followed in July 1982. A collection of twenty short stories.
Is this the true first?
The Underwood-Miller signed/numbered limited edition preceded the Harper & Row trade edition by roughly a month, so the limited issue is the true first; the Harper & Row trade is the first trade edition, not the overall first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions of the trade text lack the number line and the printed jacket price.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Compass Rose a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: True first is the Underwood-Miller (Pendragon Press) edition: a clothbound issue limited to 550 numbered copies signed by Le Guin, with a bound-in limitation page and Thomas Canty artwork, issued mid-1982 (ISBN 0-934438-60-9). The Harper & Row trade hardcover, with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page in a priced jacket, followed in July 1982. A collection of twenty short stories.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The Underwood-Miller signed/numbered limited edition preceded the Harper & Row trade edition by roughly a month, so the limited issue is the true first; the Harper & Row trade is the first trade edition, not the overall first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club editions of the trade text lack the number line and the printed jacket price.
I have a first edition of The Compass Rose — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.