# Is "My Dark Places" by James Ellroy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of My Dark Places by James Ellroy (Knopf, 1996) is identified by: First hardcover printing of this memoir, Alfred A. US Alfred A.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First hardcover printing of this memoir, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1996, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi colophon and a number line ending in 1
- Bound in black quarter cloth with silver spine lettering over gray boards
- Issued in a photographic dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd, incorporating newspaper crime imagery; a first-state jacket retains its printed price to the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Knopf
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Ellroy |
| Publisher | Knopf |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First hardcover printing of this memoir, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1996, with 'First… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First hardcover printing of this memoir, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1996, with 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page beneath the Borzoi colophon and a number line ending in 1. Bound in black quarter cloth with silver spine lettering over gray boards. Issued in a photographic dust jacket designed by Chip Kidd, incorporating newspaper crime imagery; a first-state jacket retains its printed price to the flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Alfred A. Knopf edition is the true first, published 1996. The UK Century edition of the same year is a separate printing with its own ISBN; the US Knopf edition is treated as the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition of concern. Confirm the 'First Edition' statement and the number line terminating in 1 on the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *My Dark Places* by James Ellroy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/my-dark-places
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.