# Is "Unaccustomed Earth" by Jhumpa Lahiri a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri (Alfred A. Knopf, 2008) is identified by: First trade printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1. US Knopf is the true first; a near-simultaneous UK edition (Bloomsbury, 2008) appeared but does not precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1
- Bound in cloth with a white and sea-green spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a price-present dust jacket
- Story collection
- Publisher imprint reads Alfred A. Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jhumpa Lahiri |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First trade printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1. Bound in cloth with a white and sea-green spine lettered in gilt, and issued in a price-present dust jacket. Story collection.

## Is this the true first?
US Knopf is the true first; a near-simultaneous UK edition (Bloomsbury, 2008) appeared but does not precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition; an advance reader's copy precedes the trade first for collectors but is not a published edition. On the trade first, look for the stated 'First Edition' together with the terminal 1 in the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Unaccustomed Earth* by Jhumpa Lahiri a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/unaccustomed-earth
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.