# Is "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Books, 2003) is identified by: Copyright-page number line reads '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' — this exact sequence is the key first-printing point. The US Riverhead first is the true first, preceding the UK Bloomsbury edition (2003).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright-page number line reads '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' — this exact sequence is the key first-printing point
- Quarter black cloth spine over green boards with gilt lettering; pictorial dust jacket with its printed price, unclipped
- ISBN 1-57322-245-3
- Publisher imprint reads Riverhead Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Khaled Hosseini |
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright-page number line reads '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' — this exact sequence is the key first-printing point |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright-page number line reads '1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2' — this exact sequence is the key first-printing point. Quarter black cloth spine over green boards with gilt lettering; pictorial dust jacket with its printed price, unclipped. ISBN 1-57322-245-3.

## Is this the true first?
The US Riverhead first is the true first, preceding the UK Bloomsbury edition (2003). Hosseini's debut novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show altered number lines lacking the leading 1. Book-club and reprint copies are far more common than the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Kite Runner* by Khaled Hosseini a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-kite-runner
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.