# Is "The Confusion" by Neal Stephenson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Confusion by Neal Stephenson (William Morrow, 2004) is identified by: The William Morrow (New York) hardcover (2004, ISBN 0060523862) is the trade first: it states 'First Edition' with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price on the front flap (unclipped). The US Morrow hardcover (2004) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The William Morrow (New York) hardcover (2004, ISBN 0060523862) is the trade first: it states 'First Edition' with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price on the front flap (unclipped)
- Volume two of The Baroque Cycle
- A separate publisher's Limited and Signed First Edition exists and should not be conflated with the trade first: it carries an extra leaf tipped in after the front free endpaper, signed by Stephenson and stating that this limited and signed first edition of THE CONFUSION was specially bound and produced by the publisher; those copies use the same first-printing sheets but are the signed-limited state, distinct from the ordinary trade first
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Neal Stephenson |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The William Morrow (New York) hardcover (2004, ISBN 0060523862) is the trade first: it states 'First Edition' with a complete number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The William Morrow (New York) hardcover (2004, ISBN 0060523862) is the trade first: it states 'First Edition' with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, and the first-issue dust jacket retains its printed price on the front flap (unclipped). Volume two of The Baroque Cycle. A separate publisher's Limited and Signed First Edition exists and should not be conflated with the trade first: it carries an extra leaf tipped in after the front free endpaper, signed by Stephenson and stating that this limited and signed first edition of THE CONFUSION was specially bound and produced by the publisher; those copies use the same first-printing sheets but are the signed-limited state, distinct from the ordinary trade first.

## Is this the true first?
The US Morrow hardcover (2004) is the true first. The publisher's signed limited (with tipped-in signed limitation leaf) is a special state of that first, not a separate earlier edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Trade only; no book-club edition of note.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Confusion* by Neal Stephenson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-confusion
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.