# Is "Ashley Bell" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ashley Bell by Dean Koontz (Bantam, 2015) is identified by: Copyright page states First Edition with Bantam's idiosyncratic first-printing number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1. Bantam US trade hardcover of December 2015 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states First Edition with Bantam's idiosyncratic first-printing number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1
- Published December 8, 2015
- ISBN 978-0-345-54596-1
- Issued in hardcover with a black dust jacket lettered in red and white; a first-issue jacket retains the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states First Edition with Bantam's idiosyncratic first-printing number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states First Edition with Bantam's idiosyncratic first-printing number line 2 4 6 8 9 7 5 3 1. Published December 8, 2015; ISBN 978-0-345-54596-1. Issued in hardcover with a black dust jacket lettered in red and white; a first-issue jacket retains the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
Bantam US trade hardcover of December 2015 is the true first. Charnel House signed limited editions followed in 2016.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club copies lack the copyright-page number line and the printed price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ashley Bell* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ashley-bell
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.