# Is "Getting Off" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Getting Off by Lawrence Block (Hard Case Crime, 2011) is identified by: Credited to 'Lawrence Block writing as Jill Emerson.' Subtitled 'A Novel of Sex and Violence.' Issued in 2011 in both a hardcover original and a softcover; the hardcover was Hard Case Crime's first-ever hardcover original. US Hard Case Crime is the true first publisher.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Credited to 'Lawrence Block writing as Jill Emerson.' Subtitled 'A Novel of Sex and Violence.' Issued in 2011 in both a hardcover original and a softcover; the hardcover was Hard Case Crime's first-ever hardcover original
- Publisher imprint reads Hard Case Crime
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | Hard Case Crime |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Credited to 'Lawrence Block writing as Jill Emerson.' Subtitled 'A Novel of Sex and… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Credited to 'Lawrence Block writing as Jill Emerson.' Subtitled 'A Novel of Sex and Violence.' Issued in 2011 in both a hardcover original and a softcover; the hardcover was Hard Case Crime's first-ever hardcover original.

## Is this the true first?
US Hard Case Crime is the true first publisher. Both the hardcover original and the paperback were issued in the same year as first-format publications; collectors typically prize the hardcover original as the more notable first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition of concern. Distinguish only by format (hardcover original versus paperback) rather than by later printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Getting Off* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/getting-off
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.