Is My Cause of Death a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The trade first printing (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996, ISBN 0399141464) carries a complete Putnam number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page and a first-issue dust jacket with the printed price present on the front flap
• Separately, a signed limited edition of 185 specially bound copies (ISBN 0399141707) was issued in a cloth-covered slipcase with no dust jacket as issued, individually numbered and signed by Cornwell on the limitation page

How G.P. Putnam's Sons marked a first edition

• PRE-1928 (early independent house): Putnam printed NO first-edition statement. Identify a first by matching the copyright-page year to the title-page year with no reprint/later-printing notice on the copyright page. Afte…
• NUMBER-LINE ADOPTION (CONTESTED DATE): Putnam moved to a printer's-key number line on the copyright page. A complete ascending line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (all ten numerals present, lowest = 1) indicates a first printing,…

Full G.P. Putnam's Sons first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

US G.P. Putnam's Sons is the true first; the seventh Kay Scarpetta novel and Cornwell's first with Putnam after leaving Scribner's. The trade first and the 185-copy signed limited were issued concurrently by the same publisher.P-024026

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

A book club edition of this bestseller exists (commonly ISBN 0783817924) and is identified by an unpriced jacket and a blindstamp or small impressed dot on the rear board, lacking the full 10-to-1 number line.P-024027

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Cause of Death a first edition?

A first edition of Cause of Death by Patricia Cornwell (G.P. Putnam's Sons) is identified by: The trade first printing (G.P.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). US G.P.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

A book club edition of this bestseller exists (commonly ISBN 0783817924) and is identified by an unpriced jacket and a blindstamp or small impressed dot on the rear board, lacking the full 10-to-1 number line.

I have a first edition of Cause of Death — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.