first edition
Americannoun
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the whole number of copies of a literary work printed first, from the same type, and issued together.
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an individual copy from this number.
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the first printing of a newspaper for a given date.
Etymology
Origin of first edition
First recorded in 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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
Welcome to the first edition of Executive Dysfunction.
From Slate • Feb. 19, 2026
To my astonishment, standing on its end, facing out, was an unsigned first edition hardback of John Irving’s 15th novel, “The Last Chairlift.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2026
I put the first edition of Jane Eyre back on the shelf, and slid all three books in carefully because I guess it was all-fired important.
From "Okay for Now" by Gary D. Schmidt
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
