# Is "The Luminaries" by Eleanor Catton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton (Victoria University Press, 2013) is identified by: True first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition, published August 2013, preceding the UK and US trade editions. The true first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition (August 2013), the author's home publisher.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition, published August 2013, preceding the UK and US trade editions
- The UK Granta edition and US Little, Brown edition followed later in 2013
- On the Granta first, the verso reads 'First published in Great Britain by Granta Books 2013' with a number line to 1; first printings of each issue are told by their respective imprint and number line
- Publisher imprint reads Victoria University Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Eleanor Catton |
| Publisher | Victoria University Press |
| Year | 2013 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition, published August 2013, preceding the UK and US trade editions |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition, published August 2013, preceding the UK and US trade editions. The UK Granta edition and US Little, Brown edition followed later in 2013. On the Granta first, the verso reads 'First published in Great Britain by Granta Books 2013' with a number line to 1; first printings of each issue are told by their respective imprint and number line.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the New Zealand Victoria University Press edition (August 2013), the author's home publisher. The UK Granta and US Little, Brown editions followed. 2013 Booker winner (then youngest winner; longest winning novel). The earlier record framed UK Granta as the first trade edition, which understates the precedence of the New Zealand VUP edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US Little, Brown edition is US-priced; the UK Granta edition is distinguished by its imprint and number line. The New Zealand VUP edition is the precedent issue. No prominent book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Luminaries* by Eleanor Catton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-luminaries
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.