# Is "Blue Moon" by Lee Child a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Blue Moon by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, 2019) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). US Delacorte first, twenty-fourth Reacher novel and the last written solo by Lee Child before Andrew Child joined the series.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- The first printing is bound in gray paper-covered boards with roughly the upper quarter in blue, with gilt lettering and a gilt rule on the spine, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket
- The first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lee Child |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 2019 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The first printing is bound in gray paper-covered boards with roughly the upper quarter in blue, with gilt lettering and a gilt rule on the spine, and issued in a pictorial dust jacket. The first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte first, twenty-fourth Reacher novel and the last written solo by Lee Child before Andrew Child joined the series. The US Delacorte (ISBN 9780399593543) and UK Bantam Press editions were both released 29 October 2019, so the two hardbacks are effectively simultaneous firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of consequence; the stated First Edition with full number line ending in 1 identifies the first printing. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Blue Moon* by Lee Child a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/blue-moon
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.