# Is "A Long Line of Dead Men" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Long Line of Dead Men by Lawrence Block (William Morrow, 1994) is identified by: 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line; the presence of the 1 in that line confirms the first printing (ISBN 0-688-12193-4). US William Morrow edition is the true first; twelfth Matthew Scudder novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line; the presence of the 1 in that line confirms the first printing (ISBN 0-688-12193-4)
- The book is bound in red quarter cloth over black boards with red endpapers, collating 285 pages, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the flap, so an unclipped jacket is the preferred state
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | 'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line; the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
'First Edition' is stated on the copyright page together with a complete number line; the presence of the 1 in that line confirms the first printing (ISBN 0-688-12193-4). The book is bound in red quarter cloth over black boards with red endpapers, collating 285 pages, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket carrying the printed price on the flap, so an unclipped jacket is the preferred state.

## Is this the true first?
US William Morrow edition is the true first; twelfth Matthew Scudder novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club-edition confusion is documented for this title. Book-club printings, where they exist, omit the stated 'First Edition' line and the number line and are typically bound in blind-stamped boards without the quarter-cloth binding.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Long Line of Dead Men* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-long-line-of-dead-men
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.