# Is "Open Season" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine, 2025) is identified by: First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1. US Ballantine hardcover, published February 4, 2025, is the true first; this is the fortieth Alex Delaware novel (not 2024 and not the thirty-ninth).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1
- Ballantine (Random House) hardcover in dust jacket
- ISBN 9780593497692
- The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price and the ISBN barcode on the rear panel
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 2025 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition so stated on the copyright page ('First Edition') with a full number line including 1. Ballantine (Random House) hardcover in dust jacket; ISBN 9780593497692. The first-issue jacket should retain its printed cover price and the ISBN barcode on the rear panel.

## Is this the true first?
US Ballantine hardcover, published February 4, 2025, is the true first; this is the fortieth Alex Delaware novel (not 2024 and not the thirty-ninth). The thirty-ninth Alex Delaware novel is The Ghost Orchid (2024), which sits between Unnatural History and Open Season. The parallel UK Century edition does not precede the US printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition issue for the first printing; as a recent title it circulates chiefly as the trade first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Open Season* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/open-season
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.