Is My Along Came a Spider a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line descending to "1" — both must be present
• This matches Little, Brown's post-late-1970s practice, in which the first-edition statement is paired with a number row and the "1" is deleted at the first reprint, so a copy with the statement but a line beginning at "2" is a later printing
• The binding is reported as decorative gray boards quarterbound in a violet cloth backstrip with foil lettering to the spine; the jacket carries art by Joe Ovies with raised silver-foil titles to the front panel and should be a priced jacket with the price present at the front flap
• First appearance of Alex Cross

How Little, Brown and Company marked a first edition

• From 1940 onward: Little, Brown adopted an explicit statement, printing 'First Edition' OR 'First Printing' on the copyright page of a first printing. Presence of that phrase, with no overriding later-printing line, deno…
• Late 1970s onward: Little, Brown added a descending number line to the copyright page. Per the trade-house standard, the first printing is present only when the line still contains a '1' (e.g., '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'); t…

Full Little, Brown and Company first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The census claim is confirmed: the US Little, Brown, Boston, 1993 issue is the accepted true first. A separate UK first edition followed from HarperCollins, London, in 1993 (ISBN 0002241269) and is collected in its own right as the first British edition, but it does not hold precedence over the US issue. First-thus trap: the Warner mass-market paperback and the later film tie-in issues are reprints, not first editions, despite "first" language on some copies.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Book-club copies are common for this title and are frequently misdescribed. Separate them on the copyright page, which lacks the "First Edition" statement and the number line; the standard club tells also apply — no price at the jacket flap, a blind stamp to the rear board, and a smaller trim size with lighter boards.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Along Came a Spider a first edition?

A first edition of Along Came a Spider by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company) is identified by: The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line descending to "1" — both must be present.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The census claim is confirmed: the US Little, Brown, Boston, 1993 issue is the accepted true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Book-club copies are common for this title and are frequently misdescribed. Separate them on the copyright page, which lacks the "First Edition" statement and the number line; the standard club tells also apply — no price at the jacket flap, a blind stamp to the rear board, and a smaller trim size with lighter boards.

I have a first edition of Along Came a Spider — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.