# Is "The Soul of a New Machine" by Tracy Kidder a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder (Little, Brown and Company, 1981) is identified by: Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1981. The US Little, Brown edition is the true first, preceding the UK Allen Lane edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1981
- The copyright page states 'First Edition' (Little, Brown's convention of a stated 'First Edition' line for the first printing), with ISBN 0-316-49170-5
- The first-issue dust jacket, designed by Peter deAngeli, carries the printed price on the front flap and is found unclipped on trade firsts
- Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the National Book Award
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tracy Kidder |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1981 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1981. The copyright page states 'First Edition' (Little, Brown's convention of a stated 'First Edition' line for the first printing), with ISBN 0-316-49170-5. The first-issue dust jacket, designed by Peter deAngeli, carries the printed price on the front flap and is found unclipped on trade firsts. Winner of the 1982 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction and the National Book Award.

## Is this the true first?
The US Little, Brown edition is the true first, preceding the UK Allen Lane edition. Look for the stated 'First Edition' line paired with a priced deAngeli jacket to confirm the trade first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-of-the-Month Club copies do not state 'First Edition,' lack the printed jacket price, and carry a small blindstamp (dot) to the rear board; the trade first is distinguished by the stated 'First Edition' plus the priced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Soul of a New Machine* by Tracy Kidder a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-soul-of-a-new-machine
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.