Books

New York: Viking Press, 1989. First U.S. edition. Hardcover. Very Good/good. Signed by author on full title page in my presence 6/14/08. Dust jacket has mild shelf wear otherwise quite an excellent copy, solid square and unmarked. Black paper boards quarterbound over black cloth spine with gold lettering. Unclipped DJ ( $19.95) protected with new Brodart cover. Stated first U.S. edition, full number line. Flier from signing event laid in. 8vo, 546 pp., bookseller #001040.

The Satanic Verses is Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, first published in 1988 and inspired in part by the life of Muhammad. It was met with significant controversy due to its portrayal of Islamic themes which led Rushdie to face death threats and a fatwa calling for his assassination.

A first edition can often be identified by checking the number line sequence or printing line that includes '1'. Often, the presence of a dust jacket that matches the design of the first edition, and the correct full ISBN, are also indicators. Publisher's specifics and a lack of subsequent printings or editions mentioned can help determine if a copy is a first edition.