# Is "The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor" by John Barth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor by John Barth (Little, Brown and Company, 1991) is identified by: First printing carries the Little, Brown first-edition statement together with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; ISBN 0316082511 (9780316082518), a substantial hardcover of roughly 573 pages. True first is the 1991 Little, Brown and Company edition, Boston.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the Little, Brown first-edition statement together with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page
- ISBN 0316082511
- , a substantial hardcover of roughly 573 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket is priced and should be present unclipped, the printed price appearing at the top of the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Barth |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the Little, Brown first-edition statement together with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the Little, Brown first-edition statement together with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page; ISBN 0316082511 (9780316082518), a substantial hardcover of roughly 573 pages. The first-issue dust jacket is priced and should be present unclipped, the printed price appearing at the top of the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1991 Little, Brown and Company edition, Boston.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No major book club issue is recorded for this title; confirm the first printing by the first-edition statement plus the full number line reaching 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Voyage of Somebody the Sailor* by John Barth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-voyage-of-somebody-the-sailor
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.