# Is "The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye" by Jonathan Lethem a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye by Jonathan Lethem (Harcourt Brace & Company, 1996) is identified by: Lethem's first story collection (seven stories), Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1996 (ISBN 0-15-100180-4). The US Harcourt Brace 1996 hardcover is the unambiguous true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Lethem's first story collection (seven stories), Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1996 (ISBN 0-15-100180-4)
- The copyright page states 'First edition' with Harcourt's descending letter line ending in 'A'; confirm the original dust jacket price is present and unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Harcourt Brace & Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Lethem |
| Publisher | Harcourt Brace & Company |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Lethem's first story collection (seven stories), Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1996 (ISBN 0-15-100180-4) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Lethem's first story collection (seven stories), Harcourt Brace & Company, New York, 1996 (ISBN 0-15-100180-4). The copyright page states 'First edition' with Harcourt's descending letter line ending in 'A'; confirm the original dust jacket price is present and unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The US Harcourt Brace 1996 hardcover is the unambiguous true first. The Faber and Faber (London) edition appeared years later (2002/2005), was not simultaneous, and was a substantially different collection with two stories swapped out, so it is not a competing first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No common book club edition noted; later trade paperback reprints are not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye* by Jonathan Lethem a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-wall-of-the-sky-the-wall-of-the-eye
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.