# Is "Self-Defense" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Self-Defense by Jonathan Kellerman (Bantam, 1995) is identified by: First printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-08920-X) has FIRST EDITION stated on the copyright page together with the complete descending number line ending in 1 (in the form 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); later printings show a shortened line. US Bantam hardcover is the true first, the ninth Alex Delaware novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-08920-X) has FIRST EDITION stated on the copyright page together with the complete descending number line ending in 1 (in the form 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); later printings show a shortened line
- The book is quarter-bound in cloth over boards in the original pictorial dust jacket, which in first state retains its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-08920-X) has FIRST EDITION stated on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-08920-X) has FIRST EDITION stated on the copyright page together with the complete descending number line ending in 1 (in the form 0 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1); later printings show a shortened line. The book is quarter-bound in cloth over boards in the original pictorial dust jacket, which in first state retains its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam hardcover is the true first, the ninth Alex Delaware novel. The UK edition, under a different ISBN, followed and is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club printing point misleads identification; the complete number line ending in 1 with the stated FIRST EDITION is the reliable first-printing tell.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Self-Defense* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/self-defense
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.