# Is "Hanging On" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hanging On by Dean Koontz (M. Evans, 1973) is identified by: Evans first edition; copyright page carries the number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (a stated First Edition line is not the identifier here). M.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- M. Evans first edition; copyright page carries the number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (a stated First Edition line is not the identifier here)
- WWII comic novel and Koontz's first hardcover under his own name; there was never a second hardcover printing
- Publisher imprint reads M. Evans
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | M. Evans |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | M. Evans first edition; copyright page carries the number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (a stated First Edition line is not the identifier here) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
M. Evans first edition; copyright page carries the number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 (a stated First Edition line is not the identifier here). WWII comic novel and Koontz's first hardcover under his own name; there was never a second hardcover printing.

## Is this the true first?
M. Evans US true first; the only US hardcover printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No US book club edition is documented; a 1975 UK book-club omnibus reprint exists (three novels in one volume, issued without a jacket) and should not be confused with the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hanging On* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hanging-on
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.