first edition

American  

noun

1. the whole number of copies of a literary work printed first, from the same type, and issued together.

2. an individual copy from this number.

3. the first printing of a newspaper for a given date.

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Etymology

Origin of first edition

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

Jane Magnusson recalled rescuing a first edition of Ernest Hemingway’s “The Sun Also Rises” that her mother might otherwise have discarded or given to a stranger.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

He publishes with a small press to little notice, yet word of mouth helps the book sell out its first edition.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

A member of the audience noted that at the end of the first edition of Zack’s book, she addressed future uncertainties in a section titled, “Whither To, Altadena?”

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

Welcome to the first edition of Executive Dysfunction.

From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026

So far I’ve acquired a surround-sound system, a vintage vinyl record collection, a Thomas Kinkaid painting, an autographed first edition of The Maltese Falcon, and a yellow-scaled ball python.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman