The points of issue
Avon mass-market paperback original, published January 1995. The first printing is identified by the original printed cover price and a clean copyright page with no later-printing statement, in the period Avon binding and spine logo of the mid-1990s.
Is this the true first?
The paperback original is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover. Collected as the canonical 1990s historical-romance high spot and a RITA winner repeatedly voted to the top of All About Romance reader polls.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club hardcover exists. Later Avon printings raise the cover price and add printing numbers; the true first is the original-priced first printing.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Lord of Scoundrels a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: Avon mass-market paperback original, published January 1995. The first printing is identified by the original printed cover price and a clean copyright page with no later-printing statement, in the period Avon binding and spine logo of the mid-1990s.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. The paperback original is the true first; there was no preceding hardcover. Collected as the canonical 1990s historical-romance high spot and a RITA winner repeatedly voted to the top of All About Romance reader polls.
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
No book-club hardcover exists. Later Avon printings raise the cover price and add printing numbers; the true first is the original-priced first printing.
I have a first edition of Lord of Scoundrels — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.