# Is "Washington: A Life" by Ron Chernow a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow (The Penguin Press, 2010) is identified by: First printing has a complete number line on the copyright page that includes (ends in) 1; later printings drop the 1. US The Penguin Press (New York), 2010, is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has a complete number line on the copyright page that includes (ends in) 1; later printings drop the 1
- Issued in tan boards with a green spine, gilt lettering, and a price-bearing first-state dust jacket
- Publisher imprint reads The Penguin Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ron Chernow |
| Publisher | The Penguin Press |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has a complete number line on the copyright page that includes (ends in) 1; later printings drop the 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First printing has a complete number line on the copyright page that includes (ends in) 1; later printings drop the 1. Issued in tan boards with a green spine, gilt lettering, and a price-bearing first-state dust jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US The Penguin Press (New York), 2010, is the true first edition. Won the Pulitzer Prize for Biography, 2011.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Confirm the number line includes 1; any printing line not reaching 1 is a later printing. Heavily reprinted title.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Washington: A Life* by Ron Chernow a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/washington-a-life
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.