# Is "The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida" by Shehan Karunatilaka a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka (Sort of Books, 2022) is identified by: First UK edition, Sort of Books, 4 August 2022, with 'First published by Sort of Books 2022' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket. An earlier, substantially different version of the novel was published in the Indian subcontinent as 'Chats with the Dead' (Penguin India, 2020); the author revised the text over roughly two years for Western readers.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First UK edition, Sort of Books, 4 August 2022, with 'First published by Sort of Books 2022' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket
- The US W. W. Norton edition followed in 2022
- 2022 Booker winner
- Publisher imprint reads Sort of Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Shehan Karunatilaka |
| Publisher | Sort of Books |
| Year | 2022 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First UK edition, Sort of Books, 4 August 2022, with 'First published by Sort of Books 2022' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First UK edition, Sort of Books, 4 August 2022, with 'First published by Sort of Books 2022' on the verso and a number line ending in 1 on the first printing; original boards in dust jacket. The US W. W. Norton edition followed in 2022. 2022 Booker winner.

## Is this the true first?
An earlier, substantially different version of the novel was published in the Indian subcontinent as 'Chats with the Dead' (Penguin India, 2020); the author revised the text over roughly two years for Western readers. The Sort of Books 2022 edition is the true first of this revised, prize-winning text, so it stands as the collectible first of 'The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida.' The US Norton edition followed.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Norton US edition is distinguished by imprint; the UK first is told by the number line ending in 1. No prominent book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida* by Shehan Karunatilaka a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-seven-moons-of-maali-almeida
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.