# Is "Chaos" by Patricia Cornwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Chaos by Patricia Cornwell (William Morrow, 2016) is identified by: First printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1, the standard William Morrow / HarperCollins convention of the period. US William Morrow (HarperCollins) is the true first; twenty-fourth Scarpetta novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1, the standard William Morrow / HarperCollins convention of the period
- The first-issue dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the printed cover price on the front flap along with the date code '1116' (November 2016) at the foot of the front flap; a clipped example simply loses that price corner and is not a later state
- Bound in publisher's boards under a photographic/typographic Scarpetta-series jacket
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patricia Cornwell |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing carries the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1, the standard William Morrow / HarperCollins convention of the period. The first-issue dust jacket is unclipped, retaining the printed cover price on the front flap along with the date code '1116' (November 2016) at the foot of the front flap; a clipped example simply loses that price corner and is not a later state. Bound in publisher's boards under a photographic/typographic Scarpetta-series jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US William Morrow (HarperCollins) is the true first; twenty-fourth Scarpetta novel. A UK HarperCollins hardcover (separate ISBN) appeared alongside it, so match the Morrow imprint and copyright-page statement to confirm the American first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue distinct enough to confuse with the trade first; confirm via the stated 'First Edition' line, the descending number line, and the '1116' flap code.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Chaos* by Patricia Cornwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/chaos
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.