# Is "Gone Tomorrow" by Lee Child a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child (Bantam Press, 2009) is identified by: UK Bantam Press hardcover is the true first: verify the Transworld/Bantam Press imprint and 2009 dating. Lee Child is British and the UK Bantam Press (Transworld) hardcover preceded the US edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Bantam Press hardcover is the true first: verify the Transworld/Bantam Press imprint and 2009 dating
- The US Delacorte printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1, which identifies the US first printing but not the global true first
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lee Child |
| Publisher | Bantam Press |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Bantam Press hardcover is the true first: verify the Transworld/Bantam Press imprint… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Bantam Press hardcover is the true first: verify the Transworld/Bantam Press imprint and 2009 dating. The US Delacorte printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a number line ending in 1, which identifies the US first printing but not the global true first.

## Is this the true first?
Lee Child is British and the UK Bantam Press (Transworld) hardcover preceded the US edition. Gone Tomorrow was published in the UK in April 2009, roughly a month ahead of the US Delacorte Press edition in May 2009. The UK Bantam Press hardcover is the true first edition; the US Delacorte is the first US printing. Thirteenth Reacher novel.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Gone Tomorrow* by Lee Child a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/gone-tomorrow
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.