# Is "Life Expectancy" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz (Bantam, 2004) is identified by: Bantam hardcover, New York, 2004. The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first; a Charnel House signed limited edition followed in February 2005.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam hardcover, New York, 2004
- The copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1
- The first printing runs 401 pages, measures roughly 9.5 by 6.5 inches, and is bound with blue boards bearing the author's name to the front cover and a black cloth spine lettered in gilt; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price
- ISBN 0-553-80414-6
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 2004 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam hardcover, New York, 2004 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam hardcover, New York, 2004. The copyright page carries a full number line ending in 1. The first printing runs 401 pages, measures roughly 9.5 by 6.5 inches, and is bound with blue boards bearing the author's name to the front cover and a black cloth spine lettered in gilt; the first-issue jacket should retain its printed price. ISBN 0-553-80414-6 (9780553804140).

## Is this the true first?
The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first; a Charnel House signed limited edition followed in February 2005.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club copies are noticeably smaller than the trade edition, are bound in red boards rather than blue, carry a book-club identification number on the jacket, and lack a printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Life Expectancy* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/life-expectancy
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.