# Is "The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race (editor)" by Jesmyn Ward a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race (editor) by Jesmyn Ward (Scribner, 2016) is identified by: First Scribner hardcover edition, published August 2, 2016, identified by the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, in the priced dust jacket (printed price present on the front flap). US Scribner (Simon & Schuster) first edition; Ward serves as editor and contributor.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First Scribner hardcover edition, published August 2, 2016, identified by the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, in the priced dust jacket (printed price present on the front flap)
- An anthology of eighteen writers organized in three sections, 'Legacy,' 'Reckoning,' and 'Jubilee,' edited by Ward with her own contribution; other contributors named on the jacket/contents include Kevin Young, Edwidge Danticat, Claudia Rankine, Isabel Wilkerson, Natasha Trethewey, Jericho Brown, Kiese Laymon, and Clint Smith
- Publisher imprint reads Scribner
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jesmyn Ward |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First Scribner hardcover edition, published August 2, 2016, identified by the full number… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First Scribner hardcover edition, published August 2, 2016, identified by the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page, in the priced dust jacket (printed price present on the front flap). An anthology of eighteen writers organized in three sections, 'Legacy,' 'Reckoning,' and 'Jubilee,' edited by Ward with her own contribution; other contributors named on the jacket/contents include Kevin Young, Edwidge Danticat, Claudia Rankine, Isabel Wilkerson, Natasha Trethewey, Jericho Brown, Kiese Laymon, and Clint Smith.

## Is this the true first?
US Scribner (Simon & Schuster) first edition; Ward serves as editor and contributor. The UK Bloomsbury issue (ISBN 9781408892572) is a separate later printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; the number line ending in 1 identifies the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race (editor)* by Jesmyn Ward a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fire-this-time-a-new-generation-speaks-about-race-editor
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.