# Is "Brown's Requiem" by James Ellroy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Brown's Requiem by James Ellroy (Avon Books, 1981) is identified by: Paperback original, an Avon mass-market wraps book carrying catalog number 78741 with ISBN 0380787415 on the copyright page; a complete number line descending to the numeral 1 identifies the first printing. The true first is the US Avon mass-market paperback (1981), Ellroy's first book.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original, an Avon mass-market wraps book carrying catalog number 78741 with ISBN 0380787415 on the copyright page; a complete number line descending to the numeral 1 identifies the first printing
- Ellroy's debut novel, issued only in paper in the US, so there is no first-issue dust jacket, and the printed cover price should be present on the lower front wrap as issued
- Publisher imprint reads Avon Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Ellroy |
| Publisher | Avon Books |
| Year | 1981 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original, an Avon mass-market wraps book carrying catalog number 78741 with… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Paperback original, an Avon mass-market wraps book carrying catalog number 78741 with ISBN 0380787415 on the copyright page; a complete number line descending to the numeral 1 identifies the first printing. Ellroy's debut novel, issued only in paper in the US, so there is no first-issue dust jacket, and the printed cover price should be present on the lower front wrap as issued.

## Is this the true first?
The true first is the US Avon mass-market paperback (1981), Ellroy's first book. The first hardcover in any market, and the first UK edition, is the Allison & Busby hardback (London, 1984), which precedes any US hardcover appearance.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
There is no book-club edition of the paperback original; later Avon printings (shown by a number line no longer reaching 1) and the 1984 Allison & Busby hardcover are separate later or parallel issues, not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Brown's Requiem* by James Ellroy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/browns-requiem
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.