# Is "The Invention of Solitude" by Paul Auster a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Invention of Solitude by Paul Auster (Sun, 1982) is identified by: Paperback original in pictorial wrappers from Sun (SUN, New York), 1982, ISBN 0-915342-37-5, with the first edition stated; no hardcover equivalent was issued, so the wrappers ARE the first edition. The Sun paperback original is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original in pictorial wrappers from Sun (SUN, New York), 1982, ISBN 0-915342-37-5, with the first edition stated; no hardcover equivalent was issued, so the wrappers ARE the first edition
- Auster's first prose book, a memoir, and scarce
- Publisher imprint reads Sun
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paul Auster |
| Publisher | Sun |
| Year | 1982 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original in pictorial wrappers from Sun (SUN, New York), 1982, ISBN 0-915342-37-5, with the first edition stated; no hardcover… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original in pictorial wrappers from Sun (SUN, New York), 1982, ISBN 0-915342-37-5, with the first edition stated; no hardcover equivalent was issued, so the wrappers ARE the first edition. Auster's first prose book, a memoir, and scarce.

## Is this the true first?
The Sun paperback original is the true first; there is no preceding hardcover. A Penguin paperback also appeared in 1982 and later reissues (Penguin/Faber) follow, but the Sun wrappers precede them all.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; the Penguin and later imprints are distinct, separately published editions rather than printings of the Sun book.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Invention of Solitude* by Paul Auster a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-invention-of-solitude
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.