# Is "The Fraud" by Zadie Smith a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fraud by Zadie Smith (Penguin Press, 2023) is identified by: Zadie Smith's first historical novel. Precedence corrected.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Zadie Smith's first historical novel
- The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in dust jacket
- The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a slightly later, separate issue
- Publisher imprint reads Penguin Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Zadie Smith |
| Publisher | Penguin Press |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Zadie Smith's first historical novel |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Zadie Smith's first historical novel. The US Penguin Press hardcover carries the full number line counting down to 1 on the copyright page; boards in dust jacket. The UK Hamish Hamilton hardcover is a slightly later, separate issue.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence corrected. The US Penguin Press edition (5 September 2023) preceded the UK Hamish Hamilton edition (7 September 2023), so the US printing is the true first, by a couple of days.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings are identified by a number line that no longer ends in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fraud* by Zadie Smith a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fraud
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.