# Is "Big Red Tequila (Tres Navarre 1)" by Rick Riordan a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Big Red Tequila (Tres Navarre 1) by Rick Riordan (Bantam Books, 1997) is identified by: Riordan's debut adult mystery, issued as a Bantam mass-market paperback original, June 1997, with a full number line ending in 1 and first-state cover price intact. US Bantam true first, June 2, 1997, published as a paperback original with no preceding hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Riordan's debut adult mystery, issued as a Bantam mass-market paperback original, June 1997, with a full number line ending in 1 and first-state cover price intact
- No hardcover trade first exists; the paperback original is the true first
- Earliest collectible Riordan title, predating Percy Jackson
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Rick Riordan |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Riordan's debut adult mystery, issued as a Bantam mass-market paperback original, June… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Riordan's debut adult mystery, issued as a Bantam mass-market paperback original, June 1997, with a full number line ending in 1 and first-state cover price intact. No hardcover trade first exists; the paperback original is the true first. Earliest collectible Riordan title, predating Percy Jackson.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam true first, June 2, 1997, published as a paperback original with no preceding hardcover. Series debut that won the Shamus Award for best first PI novel and the Anthony Award for best original paperback; scarcer in true first state than his later children's titles.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line and may add banners referencing the Percy Jackson author.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Big Red Tequila (Tres Navarre 1)* by Rick Riordan a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/big-red-tequila-tres-navarre-1
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.