# Is "The Sympathizer" by Viet Thanh Nguyen a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (Grove Press, 2015) is identified by: The Grove Press first printing has a full number line including 1 on the copyright page. The US Grove Press 2015 edition is the true first; the full number line including 1 confirms first printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Grove Press first printing has a full number line including 1 on the copyright page
- First-issue binding is black boards with black cloth spine and gilt spine lettering, yellow endpapers, octavo, with the printed price on the jacket flap
- Debut novel
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Viet Thanh Nguyen |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Grove Press first printing has a full number line including 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The Grove Press first printing has a full number line including 1 on the copyright page. First-issue binding is black boards with black cloth spine and gilt spine lettering, yellow endpapers, octavo, with the printed price on the jacket flap. Debut novel.

## Is this the true first?
The US Grove Press 2015 edition is the true first; the full number line including 1 confirms first printing. The UK Corsair edition is separate and later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings drop the 1 from the number line. The presence of the 1 is the principal tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sympathizer* by Viet Thanh Nguyen a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sympathizer
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.