Skip to main content

First-Edition Identification · John Barth

Is My Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas a First Edition?

Houghton Mifflin, 2005

The points of issue

First U.S. edition published 2005 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618610162). First printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1 per Houghton Mifflin convention; the dust jacket carries the original price. Three metafictional novellas.

Decode the printer’s key: paste the number line into the decoder · Houghton Mifflin first-edition guide.

Is this the true first?

True first is the 2005 Houghton Mifflin U.S. edition. Verified against dealer listings and reference records.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No book-club issue is a recognized first-edition pitfall for this title.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas a first edition?

Look for these first-edition points: First U.S. edition published 2005 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618610162). First printing carries a copyright-page number line descending to 1 per Houghton Mifflin convention; the dust jacket carries the original price. Three metafictional novellas.

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. True first is the 2005 Houghton Mifflin U.S. edition. Verified against dealer listings and reference records.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

No book-club issue is a recognized first-edition pitfall for this title.

I have a first edition of Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas — 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.

Keep identifying