# Is "The Liars' Club: A Memoir" by Mary Karr a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Liars' Club: A Memoir by Mary Karr (Viking, 1995) is identified by: Copyright page indicates first publication in 1995 by Viking with a complete number line descending to 1. The US Viking edition is the true first; the UK Picador edition (ISBN 0330335979) is a later 'first thus' for that market.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page indicates first publication in 1995 by Viking with a complete number line descending to 1
- Hardcover bound in black cloth lettered in silver at the spine, with dust jacket
- ISBN 0-670-85053-5; first-issue jacket carries the printed price
- The first printing run was modest, on the order of 25,000 copies
- Publisher imprint reads Viking
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mary Karr |
| Publisher | Viking |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page indicates first publication in 1995 by Viking with a complete number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page indicates first publication in 1995 by Viking with a complete number line descending to 1. Hardcover bound in black cloth lettered in silver at the spine, with dust jacket; ISBN 0-670-85053-5; first-issue jacket carries the printed price. The first printing run was modest, on the order of 25,000 copies.

## Is this the true first?
The US Viking edition is the true first; the UK Picador edition (ISBN 0330335979) is a later 'first thus' for that market. Signed or inscribed first printings are scarce.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Distinguish from the later Penguin trade paperback and from the UK Picador first by the Viking imprint plus the full number line descending to 1 on the copyright page. No US book-club hardcover of note precedes or imitates the Viking first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Liars' Club: A Memoir* by Mary Karr a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-liars-club-a-memoir
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.