# Is "The Echo Maker" by Richard Powers a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Echo Maker by Richard Powers (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006) is identified by: The first printing states 'First edition, 2006' on the copyright page and carries the Farrar, Straus and Giroux number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2'. The US FSG hardcover (2006) is the true first and won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction; it was also a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing states 'First edition, 2006' on the copyright page and carries the Farrar, Straus and Giroux number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2'
- It is bound in grey cloth with silver spine lettering, in a printed-price dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap)
- Collation is roughly [10], 3–451, [5] pages
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Powers |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing states 'First edition, 2006' on the copyright page and carries the Farrar, Straus and Giroux number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing states 'First edition, 2006' on the copyright page and carries the Farrar, Straus and Giroux number line '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2'. It is bound in grey cloth with silver spine lettering, in a printed-price dust jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap). Collation is roughly [10], 3–451, [5] pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US FSG hardcover (2006) is the true first and won the 2006 National Book Award for Fiction; it was also a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction finalist.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are typically smaller, may be blind-stamped, lack the FSG number line, and carry an unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Echo Maker* by Richard Powers a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-echo-maker
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.