The Blind Assassin

Because the author is Canadian, the Canadian edition of this Booker Prize winner is generally considered the true first edition even though its copyright page explicitly states that it was published simultaneously in the United States (by Nan A. Talese), and in the United Kingdom (by Bloomsbury).

The Canadian first edition has a full number line "1 2 3 4 5   04 03 02 01 00" on the copyright page. The Canadian dust jacket has photo of the author on the back.

The first U.S. edition was published by Nan A. Talese. It has a full number line "1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2" on the copyright page below the statement "First Edition in the United States of America". The U.S. book club edition can also have a full number line, but the boards are solid black while the true U.S. first edition has cream boards with a brown cloth spine. There is a photo of the author on the back flap of the U.S. dust jacket.

The Blind Assassin is one of Time Magazine's 100 Best Novels. Other Time 100 Novels include American Pastoral and The Corrections

To find the market value for this book, click on the pre-filled eBay, AbeBooks, or Biblio links to the right and look for comparable listings that have all of these first edition points.

Picture of the 2000 first edition dust jacket for The Blind Assassin.

Picture of the first edition copyright page for The Blind Assassin.

Picture of dust jacket where original $37.99 price is found for The Blind Assassin.

Picture of the back dust jacket for the first edition of The Blind Assassin.

Picture of the first edition McClelland & Stewart boards for The Blind Assassin.

Picture of the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of The Blind Assassin.

This is the first U.S. edition of The Blind Assassin.

This is the copyright page from the first U.S. edition of The Blind Assassin.

This is the front dust jacket flap from the first U.S. edition of The Blind Assassin.

This is the back dust jacket of the first U.S. edition of The Blind Assassin.

The first U.S. edition on the left has cream boards with a brown cloth spine. The U.S. book club edition on the right has solid black boards.

This is the back dust jacket flap from the first U.S. edition of The Blind Assassin.

Other first edition points for books by Margaret Atwood include: Bodily Harm.

 

Disclaimer: This website is intended to help guide you and give you insight into what to look for when identifying first editions. The information is compiled from the experience of reputable collectors and dealers in the industry. Gathering and updating information about these books is more an art than a science, and new points of issue are sometimes discovered that may contradict currently accepted identification points. This means that the information presented here may not always be 100% accurate. If you spot a mistake, drop us an e-mail and we will do our best to investigate and correct it.

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