# Is "Night School" by Lee Child a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Night School by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, 2016) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). US Delacorte first, twenty-first Reacher novel (a flashback prequel set in 1996).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- The first printing is bound in black quarter cloth over matching boards and issued in a pictorial dust jacket depicting a full moon over water
- The first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lee Child |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The first printing is bound in black quarter cloth over matching boards and issued in a pictorial dust jacket depicting a full moon over water. The first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy.

## Is this the true first?
US Delacorte first, twenty-first Reacher novel (a flashback prequel set in 1996). The US Delacorte (ISBN 9780804178808) and UK Bantam Press editions were both released 7 November 2016, so the two hardbacks are effectively simultaneous firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of consequence; the stated First Edition with full number line ending in 1 identifies the first printing. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Night School* by Lee Child a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/night-school
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.