# Is "The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11" by Lawrence Wright a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright (Alfred A. Knopf, 2006) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Knopf convention, which does not rely on a number line). US Knopf is the true first, preceding the UK (Allen Lane) edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Knopf convention, which does not rely on a number line)
- ISBN 0-375-41486-X (978-0-375-41486-2)
- First-issue jacket carries the printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Wright |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2006 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Knopf convention, which does not rely on a number line) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement (Knopf convention, which does not rely on a number line). ISBN 0-375-41486-X (978-0-375-41486-2). First-issue jacket carries the printed price.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf is the true first, preceding the UK (Allen Lane) edition. Won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club hardcover of note; confusion is with later Knopf printings that drop the 'First Edition' line. The stated 'First Edition' with no later-printing statement, plus the printed-price jacket, identifies the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11* by Lawrence Wright a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-looming-tower-al-qaeda-and-the-road-to-9-11
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.