# Is "The Lay of the Land" by Richard Ford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) is identified by: First printing has "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; dust jacket carries the printed publisher's price, unclipped. US Knopf is the true first edition; the UK Bloomsbury edition (2006) follows.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; dust jacket carries the printed publisher's price, unclipped
- Third novel in the Frank Bascombe sequence, following The Sportswriter and Independence Day
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Richard Ford |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; dust jacket carries the printed… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing has "FIRST EDITION" stated on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; dust jacket carries the printed publisher's price, unclipped. Third novel in the Frank Bascombe sequence, following The Sportswriter and Independence Day.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf is the true first edition; the UK Bloomsbury edition (2006) follows.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book-club edition issue; later printings show a number line no longer ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lay of the Land* by Richard Ford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lay-of-the-land
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.