# Is "Hannibal" by Thomas Harris a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hannibal by Thomas Harris (Delacorte Press, 1999) is identified by: The Delacorte Press, New York, 1999 hardcover (486 pp.) states 'June 1999' on the copyright page above a full number line; the first printing requires the 1 to be present in that line — the dated statement alone carries forward and does not establish the printing. The census claim that 'US Delacorte 1999 precedes UK Heinemann 1999' is NOT supported and should be corrected.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The Delacorte Press, New York, 1999 hardcover (486 pp.) states 'June 1999' on the copyright page above a full number line; the first printing requires the 1 to be present in that line — the dated statement alone carries forward and does not establish the printing
- Binding is black cloth backing red paper-covered boards with the title in gilt on the spine and the author's name in gilt on the front board, with red marbled endpapers
- A first-issue jacket is unclipped with the price present at the front flap
- The first UK edition (William Heinemann, London, 1999) is also 486 pp. with jacket artwork credited to Craig Decamps
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Thomas Harris |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The Delacorte Press, New York, 1999 hardcover (486 pp.) states 'June 1999' on the copyright page above a full number line; the first… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The Delacorte Press, New York, 1999 hardcover (486 pp.) states 'June 1999' on the copyright page above a full number line; the first printing requires the 1 to be present in that line — the dated statement alone carries forward and does not establish the printing. Binding is black cloth backing red paper-covered boards with the title in gilt on the spine and the author's name in gilt on the front board, with red marbled endpapers. A first-issue jacket is unclipped with the price present at the front flap. The first UK edition (William Heinemann, London, 1999) is also 486 pp. with jacket artwork credited to Craig Decamps.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim that 'US Delacorte 1999 precedes UK Heinemann 1999' is NOT supported and should be corrected. Sources consulted give 8 June 1999 for the Delacorte issue and place the William Heinemann (London) issue in the same month, consistent with a co-ordinated simultaneous release; no consulted source establishes priority of one over the other by day. Both are collected: the Delacorte is the US first and the Heinemann is the first UK edition, and dealers describe the Heinemann as 'first U.K. edition' rather than as a reprint. Precedence between the two should be presented as simultaneous/unresolved, not as US-over-UK.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
US book-club issues (Book-of-the-Month Club / Doubleday clubs) and UK club issues circulate. Tells: blind-stamped colophon impressed into the rear board near the spine, no price at the jacket flap, no barcode on the jacket rear, smaller trim, lower-bulk paper, and no publisher's number line on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hannibal* by Thomas Harris a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hannibal
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.