The points of issue
First printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced pictorial dust jacket. First appeared in the anthology Millennial Women (1978); the Harper & Row hardcover is the first separate book edition.
Is this the true first?
US Harper & Row hardcover is the first separate edition. Note a date ambiguity: the copyright page is dated 1982 and many dealers catalogue the book as 1982, while Le Guin's own bibliography gives 1983; both years appear on confirmed first-printing copies.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions lack the number line and the printed jacket price.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The Eye of the Heron a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: First printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page, in a priced pictorial dust jacket. First appeared in the anthology Millennial Women (1978); the Harper & Row hardcover is the first separate book edition.
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. US Harper & Row hardcover is the first separate edition. Note a date ambiguity: the copyright page is dated 1982 and many dealers catalogue the book as 1982, while Le Guin's own bibliography gives 1983; both years appear on confirmed first-printing copies.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
Book club editions lack the number line and the printed jacket price.
I have a first edition of The Eye of the Heron — 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.