# Is "God Save the Child" by Robert B. Parker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of God Save the Child by Robert B. Parker (Houghton Mifflin, 1974) is identified by: US Houghton Mifflin first, 1974: the second Spenser novel; black cloth lettered in silver with a blue-and-red dust jacket; first printing has no later-printing statement on the copyright page. US Houghton Mifflin 1974 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Houghton Mifflin first, 1974: the second Spenser novel; black cloth lettered in silver with a blue-and-red dust jacket; first printing has no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Parker later won the Edgar for the third Spenser novel, Promised Land
- Publisher imprint reads Houghton Mifflin
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert B. Parker |
| Publisher | Houghton Mifflin |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Houghton Mifflin first, 1974: the second Spenser novel; black cloth lettered in silver with a blue-and-red dust jacket; first printing… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US Houghton Mifflin first, 1974: the second Spenser novel; black cloth lettered in silver with a blue-and-red dust jacket; first printing has no later-printing statement on the copyright page. Parker later won the Edgar for the third Spenser novel, Promised Land (1977).

## Is this the true first?
US Houghton Mifflin 1974 is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are smaller and lack the jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *God Save the Child* by Robert B. Parker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/god-save-the-child
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.