# Is "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan (G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1989) is identified by: Putnam's Sons, New York, published 22 March 1989; ISBN 0-399-13420-4; 288 pp, octavo. TRUE FIRST IS US — census claim confirmed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, published 22 March 1989
- ISBN 0-399-13420-4
- 288 pp, octavo
- First printing: the copyright page carries a full ASCENDING number line, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 — note the direction, because the modern reprint reverses it
- Boards are gray / blue-gray with a contrasting blue-green spine, lettered and decorated in gilt
- Jacket points, all of which should be present together: the US price on the front flap with a Canadian price printed directly beneath it; four review blurbs on the rear panel, one set off at the top with an asterisk and credited to Publishers Weekly, the other three from Alice Walker, Alice Hoffman and Louise Erdrich; and the publisher's address given as 200 Madison Avenue on the rear flap
- Publisher imprint reads G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Amy Tan |
| Publisher | G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, published 22 March 1989 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York, published 22 March 1989; ISBN 0-399-13420-4; 288 pp, octavo. First printing: the copyright page carries a full ASCENDING number line, 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 — note the direction, because the modern reprint reverses it. Boards are gray / blue-gray with a contrasting blue-green spine, lettered and decorated in gilt. Jacket points, all of which should be present together: the US price on the front flap with a Canadian price printed directly beneath it; four review blurbs on the rear panel, one set off at the top with an asterisk and credited to Publishers Weekly, the other three from Alice Walker, Alice Hoffman and Louise Erdrich; and the publisher's address given as 200 Madison Avenue on the rear flap. Price present at the flap on the trade issue.

## Is this the true first?
TRUE FIRST IS US — census claim confirmed. Putnam published in New York on 22 March 1989. Heinemann (London) issued the first UK edition later in 1989; UK rights had been sold before American publication, and at least one UK dealer therefore describes the Heinemann as effectively a concurrent first because its publisher's page makes no reference to prior US publication. That is a minority dealer position and is not corroborated elsewhere — the Putnam remains the accepted true first, and the Heinemann is collected as the first UK edition. Later Easton Press signed leatherbound issues are firsts thus and carry no precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The documented trap is a 2015 Putnam/Penguin reprint that closely imitates the first-edition jacket. Distinguish it by: a REVERSED number line running 10 to 1, an updated ISBN, Putnam/Penguin logos, different jacket price placement, and the omission of the 200 Madison Avenue address from the rear flap. No title-specific book-club variant is documented in the sources consulted; book-club copies follow the general Putnam-era tells — no price at the jacket flap, a blind-stamped depression near the lower corner of the rear board, and a smaller, lighter bulk on thinner paper.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Joy Luck Club* by Amy Tan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-joy-luck-club
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.