# Is "Relentless" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Relentless by Dean Koontz (Bantam, 2009) is identified by: Bantam trade hardcover, published June 2009. The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam trade hardcover, published June 2009
- The first printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- It is bound in white boards with Koontz's facsimile signature stamped on the front board and silver metallic lettering on the spine; the dust jacket was designed by Carlos Beltran and the trade jacket should retain its printed price on the flap
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam trade hardcover, published June 2009 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam trade hardcover, published June 2009. The first printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. It is bound in white boards with Koontz's facsimile signature stamped on the front board and silver metallic lettering on the spine; the dust jacket was designed by Carlos Beltran and the trade jacket should retain its printed price on the flap.

## Is this the true first?
The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first. The Charnel House signed limited edition followed in summer 2010, and UK HarperCollins editions appeared later, so neither precedes the Bantam trade.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions (standard and large print) exist; they lack the copyright-page number line and carry no printed price on the jacket, may bear a book club identification number, and are printed on lighter boards without the metallic spine stamping of the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Relentless* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/relentless
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.