# Is "From Potter's Field" by Patricia Cornwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of From Potter's Field by Patricia Cornwell (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1995) is identified by: First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 descending to 1. US Charles Scribner's Sons is the true first; the sixth Kay Scarpetta novel and the last Scarpetta title published by Scribner's before the move to Putnam.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 descending to 1
- Published by Scribner on 2 August 1995, 412 pages
- The binding is quarter-bound: light grey paper-covered boards with a darker grey cloth spine panel stamped in bronze gilt at the spine, with blue endpapers
- The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed cover price to the front flap (unclipped); a price should be present, and jacket art and rear-panel author photo match the trade issue
- Publisher imprint reads Charles Scribner's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patricia Cornwell |
| Publisher | Charles Scribner's Sons |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with the full… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 descending to 1. Published by Scribner on 2 August 1995, 412 pages. The binding is quarter-bound: light grey paper-covered boards with a darker grey cloth spine panel stamped in bronze gilt at the spine, with blue endpapers. The first-state dust jacket should retain its printed cover price to the front flap (unclipped); a price should be present, and jacket art and rear-panel author photo match the trade issue.

## Is this the true first?
US Charles Scribner's Sons is the true first; the sixth Kay Scarpetta novel and the last Scarpetta title published by Scribner's before the move to Putnam.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions of this bestseller exist and are identified by an unpriced jacket and a blindstamp or small impressed dot on the rear board, lacking the stated 'First Edition' and full number line. Book-club copies are also typically smaller and lighter than the trade first, printed on thinner boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *From Potter's Field* by Patricia Cornwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/from-potters-field
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.