# Is "Killer's Choice / Cop Hater (87th Precinct)" by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Killer's Choice / Cop Hater (87th Precinct) by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) (Pocket Books / Permabooks, 1956) is identified by: The early 87th Precinct novels were Permabooks (a Pocket Books imprint) paperback originals — no hardcover precedes them in the US. For these early 87th Precinct titles the US Permabooks paperback original is the true first; later hardcover, collected, and omnibus editions are 'first thus' only.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The early 87th Precinct novels were Permabooks (a Pocket Books imprint) paperback originals — no hardcover precedes them in the US. Cop Hater (series #1), Permabooks M-3037, 1956, is a paperback original in wraps; the first printing shows the Perma imprint and catalog number with no later-printing statement
- Killer's Choice (series #5) is a separate, later book: Permabooks M-3108, 1958, also a paperback original
- The first hardcover of each was British (T. V. Boardman: Cop Hater [1956]; Killer's Choice 1960), and these do not precede the US paperback originals
- Publisher imprint reads Pocket Books / Permabooks
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) |
| Publisher | Pocket Books / Permabooks |
| Year | 1956 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The early 87th Precinct novels were Permabooks (a Pocket Books imprint) paperback originals — no hardcover precedes them in the US. Cop… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
The early 87th Precinct novels were Permabooks (a Pocket Books imprint) paperback originals — no hardcover precedes them in the US. Cop Hater (series #1), Permabooks M-3037, 1956, is a paperback original in wraps; the first printing shows the Perma imprint and catalog number with no later-printing statement. Killer's Choice (series #5) is a separate, later book: Permabooks M-3108, 1958, also a paperback original. The first hardcover of each was British (T. V. Boardman: Cop Hater [1956]; Killer's Choice 1960), and these do not precede the US paperback originals.

## Is this the true first?
For these early 87th Precinct titles the US Permabooks paperback original is the true first; later hardcover, collected, and omnibus editions are 'first thus' only. Cop Hater (Perma M-3037, 1956) and Killer's Choice (Perma M-3108, 1958) are different novels and should be catalogued separately. The first British/first hardcover editions (T. V. Boardman) followed the US PBOs and are separately collected.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition for the paperback originals. Distinguish the Permabooks first printings (Cop Hater M-3037; Killer's Choice M-3108) from later Pocket/Signet reprints, which carry higher catalog numbers and printing statements.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Killer's Choice / Cop Hater (87th Precinct)* by Ed McBain (Evan Hunter) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/killers-choice-cop-hater-87th-precinct
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.