Is My Copy of The Song of Achilles a First Edition?

The points of issue

• True first is Bloomsbury, London, 20 September 2011 (ISBN 9781408816035): black cloth boards with lettering to the spine, 352 pp., first printing identified by a complete publisher's number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
• The first American edition is Ecco (HarperCollins), New York, 6 March 2012 (ISBN 9780062060617): white boards with gilt spine lettering and rough-cut (deckle) edges, again with a full number line ending in 1 on a first printing
• Jackets should be present and unclipped, with the price present at the flap
• Chronology check (a dating aid, not a publisher's point): the Orange Prize was awarded in 2012, so any Bloomsbury jacket carrying Orange Prize / Women's Prize winner wording postdates the September 2011 first printing
• A Bloomsbury signed limited issue of 500 copies, hand-numbered with a gold signature, is separately reported

How Bloomsbury marked a first edition

• First printings carry a full descending number line "10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1" on the copyright page; the lowest number (1) present = first printing
• Copyright page should show only the original publication year and no later printer/edition statement

Full Bloomsbury first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

UK precedes: Bloomsbury London, September 2011, is the true first; Ecco US, March 2012, is the first American edition and is separately collected — both editions are collected and should be named. Be alert to a widely-propagated error: Wikipedia's infobox credits "Ecco Press (HarperCollins)" with a 20 September 2011 US publication, conflating the Bloomsbury UK date with the Ecco imprint. That is not supported by the trade record — the Ecco hardcover is 2012. The novel's 2012 Orange Prize win is itself consistent with UK-first publication in September 2011, within the prize's eligibility window.P-040227

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club edition documented in the dealer census consulted. The reprint tells are the number line (lowest digit above 1) and later jacket states carrying prize wording. "First thus" traps: the 2021 10th Anniversary edition (so marked), and the 2025 Deluxe Edition with sprayed/stenciled edges and endpapers featuring a map of Homer's Greece — neither is a first edition of the text.P-040228

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of The Song of Achilles a first edition?

A first edition of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Bloomsbury) is identified by: True first is Bloomsbury, London, 20 September 2011 (ISBN 9781408816035): black cloth boards with lettering to the spine, 352 pp., first printing identified by a complete publisher's number line ending in 1 on the copyright page.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). UK precedes: Bloomsbury London, September 2011, is the true first; Ecco US, March 2012, is the first American edition and is separately collected — both editions are collected and should be named.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club edition documented in the dealer census consulted. The reprint tells are the number line (lowest digit above 1) and later jacket states carrying prize wording. "First thus" traps: the 2021 10th Anniversary edition (so marked), and the 2025 Deluxe Edition with sprayed/stenciled edges and endpapers featuring a map of Homer's Greece — neither is a first edition of the text.

I have a first edition of The Song of Achilles — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and decode the printing with the free First Edition Checker. Clearing out books? I take them as a free donation and make sure collectible copies are identified, not discarded: free pickup in the Albuquerque metro (scheduled by route), the 24/7 drop box at 5445 Edith Blvd NE, or donor-paid mail-in from anywhere in the US. Questions? Call or text 505-250-3804.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.