The points of issue
Trade paperback original, Roc, March 2012; the first printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel for 2012 (presented 2013) and the James Tiptree Jr. Award.
Is this the true first?
The 2012 Roc trade paperback is the true first edition, a paperback original with no preceding hardcover trade edition. A later signed limited hardcover from Centipede Press is a separate collectible state, not the first edition.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line. The later Centipede limited is not the first edition.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Drowning Girl a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Trade paperback original, Roc, March 2012; the first printing carries a full descending number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Won the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel for 2012 (presented 2013) and the James Tiptree Jr. Award.
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 2012 Roc trade paperback is the true first edition, a paperback original with no preceding hardcover trade edition. A later signed limited hardcover from Centipede Press is a separate collectible state, not the first edition.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line. The later Centipede limited is not the first edition.
I have a first edition of The Drowning Girl — 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.