# Is "Jesus Out to Sea" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Jesus Out to Sea by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2007) is identified by: First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 in that line denotes the first printing. US Simon & Schuster edition (2007) is the accepted true first for this story collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Story collection
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 in that line denotes the first printing
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2007 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Story collection |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Story collection. First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 in that line denotes the first printing.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster edition (2007) is the accepted true first for this story collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition of note.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Jesus Out to Sea* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/jesus-out-to-sea
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.