# Is "This Boy's Life: A Memoir" by Tobias Wolff a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of This Boy's Life: A Memoir by Tobias Wolff (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989) is identified by: Quarter brown cloth over green paper boards, gilt spine lettering; [15], 4-288 pp.; jacket designed by Jose Ortega and priced on the front flap; first printing stated on the copyright page. The US Atlantic Monthly Press 1989 edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Quarter brown cloth over green paper boards, gilt spine lettering; [15], 4-288 pp.; jacket designed by Jose Ortega and priced on the front flap; first printing stated on the copyright page
- ISBN 0-87113-248-6
- Publisher imprint reads Atlantic Monthly Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tobias Wolff |
| Publisher | Atlantic Monthly Press |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Quarter brown cloth over green paper boards, gilt spine lettering; [15], 4-288 pp.; jacket designed by Jose Ortega and priced on the front… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Quarter brown cloth over green paper boards, gilt spine lettering; [15], 4-288 pp.; jacket designed by Jose Ortega and priced on the front flap; first printing stated on the copyright page. ISBN 0-87113-248-6.

## Is this the true first?
The US Atlantic Monthly Press 1989 edition is the true first. The UK first edition is Bloomsbury, 1989 (ISBN 0-7475-0274-9), a separate true first in the UK.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the price on the jacket and the first-printing statement, and use cheaper boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *This Boy's Life: A Memoir* by Tobias Wolff a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/this-boys-life-a-memoir
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.