Is My Ocean Prey a First Edition?

The points of issue

• The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, the terminal 1 denoting the first printing
• The book is bound in black quarter cloth with silver lettering on the spine over bright blue boards, and runs to 423 pages
• It is issued in a photographic dust jacket with a blue water/bubbles design; on an unaltered first-issue copy the printed price is present on the front flap
• Signed first printings were issued with the author's signature on a publisher's tipped-in front leaf rather than signed on the title page

How G.P. Putnam's Sons marked a first edition

• PRE-1928 (early independent house): Putnam printed NO first-edition statement. Identify a first by matching the copyright-page year to the title-page year with no reprint/later-printing notice on the copyright page. Afte…
• NUMBER-LINE ADOPTION (CONTESTED DATE): Putnam moved to a printer's-key number line on the copyright page. A complete ascending line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 (all ten numerals present, lowest = 1) indicates a first printing,…

Full G.P. Putnam's Sons first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. 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.
4. Verify this is the US true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. 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.
6. 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?

The US G.P. Putnam's Sons edition, published April 13, 2021, is the true first; the UK Simon & Schuster edition followed on April 15, 2021, so the Putnam printing precedes it by two days. Thirty-first Prey novel, featuring both Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers.P-016186

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

No significant book club edition concerns for this recent trade hardcover; confirm the complete descending number line ending in 1, as later printings drop the terminal 1.P-016187

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Ocean Prey a first edition?

A first edition of Ocean Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons) is identified by: The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, the terminal 1 denoting the first printing.

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). The US G.P.

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

No significant book club edition concerns for this recent trade hardcover; confirm the complete descending number line ending in 1, as later printings drop the terminal 1.

I have a first edition of Ocean Prey — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And 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 discarded.

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.