# Is "Blood Work" by Michael Connelly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blood Work by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, 1998) is identified by: Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1998. The Little, Brown Boston edition is the true first TRADE edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1998. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete descending number line reading to 1
- ISBN 0-316-15399-0
- Bound in publisher's black boards with the spine stamped, and issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket bearing the printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped, on an unhandled first-state copy)
- First printing of the first Terry McCaleb novel
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Connelly |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1998. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 1998. 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete descending number line reading to 1; ISBN 0-316-15399-0. Bound in publisher's black boards with the spine stamped, and issued in the publisher's pictorial dust jacket bearing the printed price on the front flap (present, unclipped, on an unhandled first-state copy). First printing of the first Terry McCaleb novel.

## Is this the true first?
The Little, Brown Boston edition is the true first TRADE edition. Note a precedence wrinkle: Dennis McMillan Publications issued a signed, numbered limited edition (300 numbered plus 26 lettered copies, quarter-leather, art by Wayne Kral) dated December 1997, ahead of the Little, Brown March 1998 trade printing; collectors treat the McMillan issue as the first printing overall and the Little, Brown as the first trade edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the number line and are issued in an unpriced jacket; they typically show a blindstamped dot on the rear board and a slightly smaller trim than the Little, Brown trade first. The Dennis McMillan limited (1997) is not a book club but a separate signed/limited issue and should not be confused with either.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blood Work* by Michael Connelly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blood-work
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.