# Is "Joyride (Road Kill)" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Joyride (Road Kill) by Jack Ketchum (Headline, 1994) is identified by: True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London, June 1994, under the title Road Kill (ISBN 0747210667). UK Headline hardcover Road Kill (1994) precedes the US Berkley paperback Joyride (1995).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London, June 1994, under the title Road Kill (ISBN 0747210667)
- The US edition is the Berkley paperback Joyride, February 1995 (ISBN 0425145662), a paperback original in the US
- Publisher imprint reads Headline
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Headline |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London, June 1994, under the title Road Kill (ISBN 0747210667) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London, June 1994, under the title Road Kill (ISBN 0747210667). The US edition is the Berkley paperback Joyride, February 1995 (ISBN 0425145662), a paperback original in the US.

## Is this the true first?
UK Headline hardcover Road Kill (1994) precedes the US Berkley paperback Joyride (1995). Joyride is the US title and Road Kill the UK title, the reverse of what is often assumed. Later limited hardcover reissues are first-thus only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition reported; distinguish the 1994 UK trade hardcover from later US limited hardcover reissues.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Joyride (Road Kill)* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/joyride-road-kill
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.