# Is "Rules of Prey" by John Sandford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rules of Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1989) is identified by: The first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- The binding is quarter black paper over red paper boards with gold lettering on the spine, and red endpapers and pastedowns
- The dust jacket, designed by the One Plus One studio, should retain its printed price on the front flap (the true first is priced; a price-present flap is the tell against book-club copies)
- Confirm both the full number line and the priced trade jacket
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Sandford |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. The binding is quarter black paper over red paper boards with gold lettering on the spine, and red endpapers and pastedowns. The dust jacket, designed by the One Plus One studio, should retain its printed price on the front flap (the true first is priced; a price-present flap is the tell against book-club copies). Confirm both the full number line and the priced trade jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The US G.P. Putnam's Sons first edition (1989) is the true first; the author's debut thriller and the first Lucas Davenport "Prey" novel. "John Sandford" is the pen name of journalist John Roswell Camp.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions are identified by a blindstamp (small deboss) on the rear board near the spine and by a dust jacket flap with no printed price; such copies are not the trade first, which has the priced flap and full number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Rules of Prey* by John Sandford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rules-of-prey
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.