# Is "Mallory's Oracle" by Carol O'Connell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Mallory's Oracle by Carol O'Connell (Hutchinson, 1994) is identified by: O'Connell's debut, Kathleen Mallory #1. Precedence resolved: UK Hutchinson (May 1994) is the true first; US G.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- O'Connell's debut, Kathleen Mallory #1
- The true first is the UK Hutchinson edition, published May 1994, which precedes the US G. P. Putnam's Sons edition (August 1994) by roughly three months
- The UK first reads 'First published 1994' by Hutchinson
- The US Putnam edition is an Edgar-nominated first American edition but is a first-thus, not the true first
- Publisher imprint reads Hutchinson
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Carol O'Connell |
| Publisher | Hutchinson |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | O'Connell's debut, Kathleen Mallory #1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
O'Connell's debut, Kathleen Mallory #1. The true first is the UK Hutchinson edition, published May 1994, which precedes the US G. P. Putnam's Sons edition (August 1994) by roughly three months. The UK first reads 'First published 1994' by Hutchinson. The US Putnam edition is an Edgar-nominated first American edition but is a first-thus, not the true first.

## Is this the true first?
Precedence resolved: UK Hutchinson (May 1994) is the true first; US G. P. Putnam's Sons (August 1994) follows and is the first American edition. The record originally listed Putnam as the first edition, which is incorrect for true-first precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the price and may carry a code; later printings of either edition are not firsts.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Mallory's Oracle* by Carol O'Connell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/mallorys-oracle
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.