# Is "Crime Wave" by James Ellroy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Crime Wave by James Ellroy (Century, 1999) is identified by: The true first is the UK Century hardcover, published early 1999, stated first edition. The UK Century hardcover (1999) is the true first edition and precedes the US Vintage Crime/Black Lizard paperback of the same year.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first is the UK Century hardcover, published early 1999, stated first edition
- The US Vintage Crime/Black Lizard edition is a later paperback original (first US, but not the overall true first)
- Publisher imprint reads Century
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Ellroy |
| Publisher | Century |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first is the UK Century hardcover, published early 1999, stated first edition |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first is the UK Century hardcover, published early 1999, stated first edition. The US Vintage Crime/Black Lizard edition is a later paperback original (first US, but not the overall true first).

## Is this the true first?
The UK Century hardcover (1999) is the true first edition and precedes the US Vintage Crime/Black Lizard paperback of the same year. The record's framing of the Vintage paperback as the first is imprecise: it is the first US appearance only. Contents are eleven pieces of reportage and fiction originally from GQ.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition. The collection was assembled from periodical pieces; the UK hardcover is the priority edition, the US paperback a near-simultaneous first-thus.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Crime Wave* by James Ellroy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/crime-wave
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.