# Is "Right to Life" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Right to Life by Jack Ketchum (Cemetery Dance Publications, 1998) is identified by: Cemetery Dance Publications first edition, 1998, in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series; signed limited edition of 450 numbered copies. The Cemetery Dance signed limited of 450 copies is the true first; the Gauntlet trade paperback is a later, expanded first-thus.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cemetery Dance Publications first edition, 1998, in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series; signed limited edition of 450 numbered copies
- Gauntlet Press issued a later trade paperback
- adding two previously unpublished stories
- Publisher imprint reads Cemetery Dance Publications
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Cemetery Dance Publications |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cemetery Dance Publications first edition, 1998, in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series; signed limited edition of 450 numbered copies |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Cemetery Dance Publications first edition, 1998, in the Cemetery Dance Novella Series; signed limited edition of 450 numbered copies. Gauntlet Press issued a later trade paperback (2002) adding two previously unpublished stories.

## Is this the true first?
The Cemetery Dance signed limited of 450 copies is the true first; the Gauntlet trade paperback is a later, expanded first-thus.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A; limited-press edition with no book club issue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Right to Life* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/right-to-life
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.