# Is "Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas" by John Barth a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas by John Barth (Houghton Mifflin, 2005) is identified by: edition published 2005 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618610162). True first is the 2005 Houghton Mifflin U.S.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Barth |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 2005 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First U.S. edition published 2005 by Houghton Mifflin (ISBN 0618610162) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Where Three Roads Meet: Novellas* by John Barth a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/where-three-roads-meet-novellas
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.