# Is "The Sweet Hereafter" by Russell Banks a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks (HarperCollins, 1991) is identified by: Quarter dark-blue cloth spine over light-blue paper boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Edition' stated with a full number line beginning at 1 on the copyright page; jacket unclipped with original front-flap price. US HarperCollins, New York, 1991 is the true first (ISBN 9780060167035).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Quarter dark-blue cloth spine over light-blue paper boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Edition' stated with a full number line beginning at 1 on the copyright page; jacket unclipped with original front-flap price
- Basis for Atom Egoyan's 1997 film
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Russell Banks |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Quarter dark-blue cloth spine over light-blue paper boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Edition' stated with a full number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Quarter dark-blue cloth spine over light-blue paper boards with gilt spine lettering; 'First Edition' stated with a full number line beginning at 1 on the copyright page; jacket unclipped with original front-flap price. Basis for Atom Egoyan's 1997 film.

## Is this the true first?
US HarperCollins, New York, 1991 is the true first (ISBN 9780060167035).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the original flap price, carry a blind-stamp to the board, and do not show the number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sweet Hereafter* by Russell Banks a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sweet-hereafter
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.