# Is "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake" by Aimee Bender a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender (Doubleday, 2010) is identified by: Doubleday, June 2010, ISBN 0385720963. US Doubleday hardcover (June 2010, ISBN 0385720963) is the true first; the UK edition followed.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Doubleday, June 2010, ISBN 0385720963
- The copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line descending to 1, beneath the Doubleday anchor colophon
- Bound in tan and light-blue paper-covered boards lettered in silver foil, in a color pictorial dust jacket that retains its printed front-flap price
- Bender's best-known novel
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Aimee Bender |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Doubleday, June 2010, ISBN 0385720963 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Doubleday, June 2010, ISBN 0385720963. The copyright page states 'FIRST EDITION' with a full number line descending to 1, beneath the Doubleday anchor colophon. Bound in tan and light-blue paper-covered boards lettered in silver foil, in a color pictorial dust jacket that retains its printed front-flap price. Bender's best-known novel.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday hardcover (June 2010, ISBN 0385720963) is the true first; the UK edition followed. A separate Powell's IndieSpensable issue exists in a lemon cloth slipcase with laid-in interview sheets.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are lighter in weight and lack the number line and the printed flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake* by Aimee Bender a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-particular-sadness-of-lemon-cake
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.