# Is "Digital Fortress" by Dan Brown a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Digital Fortress by Dan Brown (St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books, 1998) is identified by: The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition: February 1998' together with the complete descending number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.' Bound in black paper-covered boards with silver spine lettering, 371 pp., in a Steve Snider-designed dust jacket with rear-panel blurbs (Nance, Lasker, Pogue, Ulsch) and a priced jacket (price present at the flap). US-only true first: St.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition: February 1998' together with the complete descending number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.' Bound in black paper-covered boards with silver spine lettering, 371 pp., in a Steve Snider-designed dust jacket with rear-panel blurbs (Nance, Lasker, Pogue, Ulsch) and a priced jacket (price present at the flap)
- As Brown's debut the first printing was small and is genuinely uncommon; later printings drop the 'First Edition: February 1998' line and shorten the number line
- Publisher imprint reads St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dan Brown |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press / Thomas Dunne Books |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition: February 1998' together with the complete descending… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing is identified by the copyright-page statement 'First Edition: February 1998' together with the complete descending number line '10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1.' Bound in black paper-covered boards with silver spine lettering, 371 pp., in a Steve Snider-designed dust jacket with rear-panel blurbs (Nance, Lasker, Pogue, Ulsch) and a priced jacket (price present at the flap). As Brown's debut the first printing was small and is genuinely uncommon; later printings drop the 'First Edition: February 1998' line and shorten the number line.

## Is this the true first?
US-only true first: St. Martin's Press, New York, February 1998 was the world first — there is no earlier UK edition (British editions did not appear until after Brown's later fame). The 1998 US hardcover is the sole edition collected as the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Post-fame book-club printings exist; a club copy lacks the 'First Edition: February 1998' statement and the full number line on the copyright page, and typically shows a rear-board blindstamp and/or a jacket without the flap price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Digital Fortress* by Dan Brown a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/digital-fortress
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.