Is My Naked in Death a First Edition?

The points of issue

• Mass-market paperback original from Berkley Books, July 1995, with a full Berkley first-printing number line ending in 1
• The first 'In Death' novel and the first use of the J.D. Robb pen name

How Berkley Books marked a first edition

• Mass-market originals: copyright page shows a printing statement; a true first reads 'Berkley/Jove edition / (Month Year)' or 'First printing' with NO later printings listed.
• Modern lines use a descending number line; presence of 1 indicates first printing.

Full Berkley Books first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
3. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
4. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

Paperback original is the true first; there was no earlier hardcover. The J.D. Robb identity was not publicly tied to Nora Roberts at launch, which contributed to the desirability of early first printings.

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

Later printings show a shortened number line; no book club edition applies to this paperback original.

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Naked in Death a first edition?

A first edition of Naked in Death by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) (Berkley Books) is identified by: Mass-market paperback original from Berkley Books, July 1995, with a full Berkley first-printing number line ending in 1.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). Paperback original is the true first; there was no earlier hardcover.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

Later printings show a shortened number line; no book club edition applies to this paperback original.

I have a first edition of Naked in Death — what should I do?

If you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than lost. To sell, see the author’s collecting guide. Either way, nothing collectible ends up in a landfill.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.