# Is "City of the Dead" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of City of the Dead by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine, 2022) is identified by: First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1. US Ballantine hardcover, published February 2022, is the true first; thirty-seventh Alex Delaware novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1
- Ballantine (Random House) hardcover in dust jacket
- ISBN 9780525618584
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price and the ISBN barcode on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 2022 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1. Ballantine (Random House) hardcover in dust jacket; ISBN 9780525618584. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price and the ISBN barcode on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
US Ballantine hardcover, published February 2022, is the true first; thirty-seventh Alex Delaware novel. The UK edition (Century, ISBN 9781529125948) followed later in February 2022 and does not precede the US printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club printing of this title exists and is offered as such by sellers. A book-club copy is distinguished by the standard tells rather than by the copyright statement: typically a jacket lacking the printed price and rear barcode, and often a small blind stamp or gutter code; it lacks the stated 'First Edition' with the full number line of the trade first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *City of the Dead* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/city-of-the-dead
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.