The points of issue
Won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; a collection of prose poems. The true first is the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich trade edition of 1989 (San Diego), identified by the Harcourt letter line on the copyright page reading A B C D E (not a number line). The collectible first is the cloth hardcover in pictorial dust jacket; a softcover issue in wrappers also exists.
Is this the true first?
US HBJ trade edition (1989) is the true first; the hardcover in dust jacket is the collector's first.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition noted. Later printings advance the HBJ letter line.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of The World Doesn't End a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry; a collection of prose poems. The true first is the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich trade edition of 1989 (San Diego), identified by the Harcourt letter line on the copyright page reading A B C D E (not a number line). The collectible first is the cloth hardcover in pictorial dust jacket; a softcover issue in wrappers also exists.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. US HBJ trade edition (1989) is the true first; the hardcover in dust jacket is the collector's first.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club edition noted. Later printings advance the HBJ letter line.
I have a first edition of The World Doesn't End — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.