# Is "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer" by Siddhartha Mukherjee a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner, 2010) is identified by: First edition, first printing published by Scribner, New York, November 2010. US Scribner (New York) true first, November 2010.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing published by Scribner, New York, November 2010
- The copyright page states 'First Scribner hardcover edition November 2010' with a complete full number line
- Bound in tan paper-over-boards backed in black cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a first-state dust jacket bearing the printed price and NO Pulitzer Prize seal (the prize was awarded in 2011, so first-state jackets predate it)
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Siddhartha Mukherjee |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing published by Scribner, New York, November 2010 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing published by Scribner, New York, November 2010. The copyright page states 'First Scribner hardcover edition November 2010' with a complete full number line. Bound in tan paper-over-boards backed in black cloth with gilt spine lettering, in a first-state dust jacket bearing the printed price and NO Pulitzer Prize seal (the prize was awarded in 2011, so first-state jackets predate it).

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner (New York) true first, November 2010. Won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction; first-state jackets carry no prize seal.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm both the stated 'First Scribner hardcover edition November 2010' line and the complete number line on the copyright page; later jackets add the Pulitzer seal.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer* by Siddhartha Mukherjee a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-emperor-of-all-maladies-a-biography-of-cancer
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.