# Is "Along Came a Spider" by James Patterson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Along Came a Spider by James Patterson (Little, Brown and Company, 1993) 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. The census claim is confirmed: the US Little, Brown, Boston, 1993 issue is the accepted true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- 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
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Patterson |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line descending to "1" — both must be… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## 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.

## 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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Along Came a Spider* by James Patterson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/along-came-a-spider
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.