# Is "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi (Night Shade Books, 2009) is identified by: Night Shade Books hardcover, 2009; first printing with a full number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket. The US Night Shade Books 2009 hardcover is the true first; the UK Orbit edition (2010) is later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Night Shade Books hardcover, 2009; first printing with a full number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket
- The decisive first-printing point: a production error omitted the acknowledgments page, so the true first printing has no acknowledgments; the acknowledgments were added on page 361 from the second printing onward
- A separate signed/limited issue was also produced
- Publisher imprint reads Night Shade Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Paolo Bacigalupi |
| Publisher | Night Shade Books |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Night Shade Books hardcover, 2009; first printing with a full number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Night Shade Books hardcover, 2009; first printing with a full number line ending in 1 and a priced dust jacket. The decisive first-printing point: a production error omitted the acknowledgments page, so the true first printing has no acknowledgments; the acknowledgments were added on page 361 from the second printing onward. A separate signed/limited issue was also produced.

## Is this the true first?
The US Night Shade Books 2009 hardcover is the true first; the UK Orbit edition (2010) is later. The Night Shade signed/limited is a distinct collectible state.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book club edition. Distinguish the trade first (no acknowledgments page) from the signed/limited issue and from later printings, which add the acknowledgments and advance the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Windup Girl* by Paolo Bacigalupi a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-windup-girl
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.