# Is "The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven" by Rick Moody a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven by Rick Moody (Little, Brown and Company, 1995) is identified by: Stated FIRST EDITION on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; Little, Brown imprint, New York. The US Little, Brown hardcover of 1995 (ISBN 0316579297) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated FIRST EDITION on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1
- Little, Brown imprint, New York
- Subtitle on the title page reads A Novella and Stories
- This is Moody's first story collection (the title novella plus stories)
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Moody |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Stated FIRST EDITION on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Stated FIRST EDITION on the copyright page with a complete number line ending in 1; Little, Brown imprint, New York. Subtitle on the title page reads A Novella and Stories. This is Moody's first story collection (the title novella plus stories).

## Is this the true first?
The US Little, Brown hardcover of 1995 (ISBN 0316579297) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No widely seen book-club issue; later trade paperbacks are reprints, not the first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Ring of Brightest Angels Around Heaven* by Rick Moody a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-ring-of-brightest-angels-around-heaven
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.