# Is "Pastoralia" by George Saunders a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Pastoralia by George Saunders (Riverhead Books, 2000) is identified by: First printing states 'First Riverhead hardcover edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1 (ISBN 1-57322-161-0), a story collection of about 188 pages and the author's second book. US Riverhead first edition, published May 2000; a UK Bloomsbury edition also appeared in 2000, making the Riverhead the precedence first for the US market.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'First Riverhead hardcover edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1 (ISBN 1-57322-161-0), a story collection of about 188 pages and the author's second book
- Issued in a dust jacket designed by Archie Ferguson, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Riverhead Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | George Saunders |
| Publisher | Riverhead Books |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'First Riverhead hardcover edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1 (ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'First Riverhead hardcover edition' on the copyright page beneath a full number line ending in 1 (ISBN 1-57322-161-0), a story collection of about 188 pages and the author's second book. Issued in a dust jacket designed by Archie Ferguson, with the printed price present on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Riverhead first edition, published May 2000; a UK Bloomsbury edition also appeared in 2000, making the Riverhead the precedence first for the US market. Confirm by the 'First Riverhead hardcover edition' statement and the number line to 1.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No notable book-club edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Pastoralia* by George Saunders a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/pastoralia
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.