# Is "The Testaments" by Margaret Atwood a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Testaments by Margaret Atwood (Chatto & Windus, 2019) is identified by: Near-simultaneous worldwide release in September 2019: Canada (McClelland & Stewart), UK (Chatto & Windus), and US (Nan A. Release was effectively near-simultaneous.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Near-simultaneous worldwide release in September 2019: Canada (McClelland & Stewart), UK (Chatto & Windus), and US (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday)
- First printings carry a number line descending to 1 or a 'First Edition' statement as appropriate to the imprint
- Co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, shared with Bernardine Evaristo
- Signed and special launch editions were issued
- Publisher imprint reads Chatto & Windus
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Margaret Atwood |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | Canadian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Near-simultaneous worldwide release in September 2019: Canada (McClelland & Stewart), UK (Chatto & Windus), and US (Nan A. Talese /… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Near-simultaneous worldwide release in September 2019: Canada (McClelland & Stewart), UK (Chatto & Windus), and US (Nan A. Talese / Doubleday). First printings carry a number line descending to 1 or a 'First Edition' statement as appropriate to the imprint. Co-winner of the 2019 Booker Prize, shared with Bernardine Evaristo. Signed and special launch editions were issued.

## Is this the true first?
Release was effectively near-simultaneous. As Atwood is Canadian, the McClelland & Stewart edition is the original/home-market publisher and is favoured; the UK Chatto & Windus is the prize-publisher. There is no single clear precedence, so collect the McClelland & Stewart or UK Chatto first printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Editions are distinguished by imprint; all are 2019 firsts. The first printing is told by the number line descending to 1 (or imprint-appropriate first-edition statement). No prominent book club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Testaments* by Margaret Atwood a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-testaments
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.