# Is "After the Last Race" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of After the Last Race by Dean Koontz (Atheneum, 1974) is identified by: Atheneum first edition with First Edition stated on the copyright page; Atheneum did not use a printer's number line in this era, so the stated-edition wording on the copyright page is the identifying point. Atheneum US true first; the Atheneum hardcover in the wine-cloth-and-blue-boards binding with the stated First Edition is the genuine first issue.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Atheneum first edition with First Edition stated on the copyright page
- Atheneum did not use a printer's number line in this era, so the stated-edition wording on the copyright page is the identifying point
- The first-edition binding is quarter wine (maroon) cloth over blue paper-covered boards, octavo, 297 pages, issued in a white pictorial dust jacket that should retain the printed price on the front flap
- One of the scarcest Koontz hardcovers in any condition
- Publisher imprint reads Atheneum
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Atheneum |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Atheneum first edition with First Edition stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Atheneum first edition with First Edition stated on the copyright page; Atheneum did not use a printer's number line in this era, so the stated-edition wording on the copyright page is the identifying point. The first-edition binding is quarter wine (maroon) cloth over blue paper-covered boards, octavo, 297 pages, issued in a white pictorial dust jacket that should retain the printed price on the front flap. One of the scarcest Koontz hardcovers in any condition.

## Is this the true first?
Atheneum US true first; the Atheneum hardcover in the wine-cloth-and-blue-boards binding with the stated First Edition is the genuine first issue.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition is documented for this title; copies lacking the First Edition statement should be treated as later or reprint issues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *After the Last Race* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/after-the-last-race
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.