# Is "The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday, 2019) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line including the 1; quarter-bound in black paper and cloth over boards with spine stamping; first-issue jacket priced with the printed price unclipped and dated '7/2019' on the rear flap. The US Doubleday 2019 edition is the true first; the 'First Edition' statement plus the number line including 1 confirms it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line including the 1; quarter-bound in black paper and cloth over boards with spine stamping; first-issue jacket priced with the printed price unclipped and dated '7/2019' on the rear flap
- Whitehead's second Pulitzer Prize for Fiction
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Colson Whitehead |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line including the 1; quarter-bound in black paper and cloth over boards with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line including the 1; quarter-bound in black paper and cloth over boards with spine stamping; first-issue jacket priced with the printed price unclipped and dated '7/2019' on the rear flap. Whitehead's second Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (2020).

## Is this the true first?
The US Doubleday 2019 edition is the true first; the 'First Edition' statement plus the number line including 1 confirms it. The UK Fleet edition is separate.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition lacks the 'First Edition' statement and the 1 in the number line and typically carries a rear-board blind-stamp.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Nickel Boys* by Colson Whitehead a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-nickel-boys
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.