# Is "Ghost Town" by Robert Coover a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Ghost Town by Robert Coover (Henry Holt, 1998) is identified by: First edition, first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. True first is the 1998 Henry Holt and Co.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Issued as cloth-backed boards (maroon paper-covered boards with a black paper spine, spine titling stamped in gilt) in a priced dust jacket designed by Robert Horansky
- 147 pages
- The title page and jacket carry the subtitle 'A Novel'
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Coover |
| Publisher | Henry Holt |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing identified by a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Issued as cloth-backed boards (maroon paper-covered boards with a black paper spine, spine titling stamped in gilt) in a priced dust jacket designed by Robert Horansky; 147 pages. The title page and jacket carry the subtitle 'A Novel'.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1998 Henry Holt and Co. hardcover (New York), 'Ghost Town: A Novel'.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Ghost Town* by Robert Coover a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ghost-town
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.