# Is "Odd Hours" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Odd Hours by Dean Koontz (Bantam, 2008) is identified by: First printing has the complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (Bantam's line reads BVG followed by 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Bantam US trade hardcover (May 2008) is the true first; no limited or UK edition preceded it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing has the complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (Bantam's line reads BVG followed by 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- Bound in quarter cloth over boards, collating [xii], 352, [4] pages
- The first-issue dust jacket is unclipped, with the printed price present on the front flap
- Odd Thomas #4
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 2008 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing has the complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (Bantam's line reads BVG followed by 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing has the complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (Bantam's line reads BVG followed by 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Bound in quarter cloth over boards, collating [xii], 352, [4] pages. The first-issue dust jacket is unclipped, with the printed price present on the front flap. Odd Thomas #4.

## Is this the true first?
Bantam US trade hardcover (May 2008) is the true first; no limited or UK edition preceded it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition lacks the number line and jacket price. Early copies of the trade first also carried a dropped-text error in the last sentence of the opening page, where the line meant to read that a few of the narrator's dreams have come true and people have died was printed with the words 'true and people' omitted; this was corrected in later printings.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Odd Hours* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/odd-hours
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.