# Is "The End of the End of the Earth: Essays" by Jonathan Franzen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The End of the End of the Earth: Essays by Jonathan Franzen (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018) is identified by: Stated 'First edition, 2018' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1 confirming the first printing. The US FSG first edition is the true first; the UK Fourth Estate/4th Estate edition (ISBN 978-0-00-829923-1) is a separate simultaneous-year printing, not the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First edition, 2018' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1 confirming the first printing
- Essay collection of 230 pages published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, November 13, 2018
- ISBN 978-0-374-14793-8
- A first-issue jacket retains the printed cover price on the front flap (present, not clipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Franzen |
| Publisher | Farrar, Straus and Giroux |
| Year | 2018 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated 'First edition, 2018' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First edition, 2018' on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1 confirming the first printing. Essay collection of 230 pages published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, November 13, 2018; ISBN 978-0-374-14793-8. A first-issue jacket retains the printed cover price on the front flap (present, not clipped).

## Is this the true first?
The US FSG first edition is the true first; the UK Fourth Estate/4th Estate edition (ISBN 978-0-00-829923-1) is a separate simultaneous-year printing, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; the FSG trade paperback (ISBN 978-1-250-23489-6) is a later reprint.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The End of the End of the Earth: Essays* by Jonathan Franzen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-end-of-the-end-of-the-earth-essays
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.