# Is "A Walk Among the Tombstones" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block (William Morrow, 1992) is identified by: First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete Morrow number line running down to 1. The US William Morrow hardcover of 1992 is the true first; it is the tenth Matthew Scudder novel and the basis for the 2014 film.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete Morrow number line running down to 1
- The book is bound in quarter red cloth over purple paper boards, lettered in gold on the spine, with orange endpapers and pastedowns
- The first-state dust jacket was designed by Robert Aulicino and should carry the printed price on the front flap (an unclipped example retains it)
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete Morrow number line running… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete Morrow number line running down to 1. The book is bound in quarter red cloth over purple paper boards, lettered in gold on the spine, with orange endpapers and pastedowns. The first-state dust jacket was designed by Robert Aulicino and should carry the printed price on the front flap (an unclipped example retains it).

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow hardcover of 1992 is the true first; it is the tenth Matthew Scudder novel and the basis for the 2014 film. ISBN 0-688-10350-2.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later movie tie-in printings and reprints exist and are not the first edition; confirm the stated First Edition line, the full Morrow number line down to 1, and the priced Aulicino jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Walk Among the Tombstones* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-walk-among-the-tombstones
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.