# Is "War Dances" by Sherman Alexie a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of War Dances by Sherman Alexie (Grove Press, 2009) is identified by: First edition carries the Grove Press imprint with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the dust jacket shows the printed price. The US Grove Press hardcover (2009) is the true first edition; the book won the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition carries the Grove Press imprint with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the dust jacket shows the printed price
- Issued as a hardcover with red paper-covered boards
- A collection of stories and poems
- Publisher imprint reads Grove Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sherman Alexie |
| Publisher | Grove Press |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition carries the Grove Press imprint with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the dust jacket shows the printed price |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition carries the Grove Press imprint with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; the dust jacket shows the printed price. Issued as a hardcover with red paper-covered boards. A collection of stories and poems.

## Is this the true first?
The US Grove Press hardcover (2009) is the true first edition; the book won the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition is recorded; confirm the Grove Press number line ends in 1 on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *War Dances* by Sherman Alexie a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/war-dances
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.