# Is "Cover" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Cover by Jack Ketchum (Warner Books, 1987) is identified by: Warner Books paperback original (ISBN 0446302457 / 9780446302456), 1987; first printing stated on the copyright page. The 1987 Warner Books paperback original is the true first edition; it was the first published form of the novel, Ketchum's third.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Warner Books paperback original (ISBN 0446302457 / 9780446302456), 1987; first printing stated on the copyright page
- As a mass-market paperback original, the first printing shows no later-printing statement
- Publisher imprint reads Warner Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Warner Books paperback original (ISBN 0446302457 / 9780446302456), 1987; first printing stated on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Warner Books paperback original (ISBN 0446302457 / 9780446302456), 1987; first printing stated on the copyright page. As a mass-market paperback original, the first printing shows no later-printing statement.

## Is this the true first?
The 1987 Warner Books paperback original is the true first edition; it was the first published form of the novel, Ketchum's third. The later signed limited hardcovers (Gauntlet Press, Dark Regions) are the first hardcover appearances and are first-thus only, postdating the Warner PBO.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original). The Gauntlet Press hardcover is explicitly presented as the first hardcover edition, not the first edition of the text.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Cover* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/cover
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.