First Edition

About First Edition

BookRiot.com co-founder Jeff O'Neal explores the wide bookish world. Interviews, lists, rankings, retrospectives, recommendations, and much more, featuring people who know and love books.

Publisher

Book Riot

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

17 Mar 2023

Latest episode

28 Oct 2025

Latest episodes

71 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   28 Oct 2025

   Erin Somers on THE TEN YEAR AFFAIR and Naomi Huffman on Katherine Dunn

   Jeff is joined by Erin Somers to talk about her terrific new novel, The Ten Year Affair. Then, editor Naomi Huffman on Katherine Dunn, Geek Love, and the new collection of Dunn's work, Near Flesh. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Check out Zero to Well-Read, wherever you get your podcasts. This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2. 

   9 Oct 2025

   Censorship, Inclusivity, Book Banning and more with Hachette CEO David Shelley

   Hachette CEO David Shelley joins Jeff to talk about how Hachette is fighting book bans and censorship, working on greater exclusivity and access, and other issues facing publishing today. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. Check out Zero to Well-Read, wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

3. 

   7 Oct 2025

   The Guggenheim Fellowships at 100

   Over its first century The Guggenheim Fellowships have supported more than 19,000 artists, writers, thinkers, scientists, and makers of ideas and culture in America. In honor of this milestone, The Guggenheim Fellowship at 100, on view at The New York Historical Society through November 30th, shows off correspondence, application materials, cultural objects, and other signs and tokens of what Guggenheim these fellowships and fellows have done. In this episode, Jeff talks to Guggenheim President Edward Hirsch about the fellowships and what they mean. Then, Hanna Pennington, Associate Director and Archivist at the Guggenheim, joins to talk about the work and materials that went into making this exhibition. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition Substack. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who has been a guest on First Edition

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Benedict Nguyen
• Oliver Darkshire
• Peter Mendelsund
• Kate McKean
• Susan Choi

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

955,779

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

95 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

29 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 75 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

76

Social presence

0

YouTube

93

Engagement

93

Contact First Edition

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Book Riot - The Podcast

• 

  Zero to Well-Read

• 

  Reading Glasses

• 

  Pop Culture Happy Hour

• 

  The New Yorker Radio Hour

• 

  The Daily

Questions about First Edition