# Is "Speaks the Nightbird" by Robert R. McCammon a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Speaks the Nightbird by Robert R. McCammon (River City Publishing, 2002) is identified by: River City Publishing (Montgomery, Alabama) first edition, 2002. US River City hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- River City Publishing (Montgomery, Alabama) first edition, 2002
- A single-volume hardcover of 726 pages, stated first edition, first printing
- McCammon's return after a roughly decade-long hiatus and the first Matthew Corbett novel
- Publisher imprint reads River City Publishing
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert R. McCammon |
| Publisher | River City Publishing |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | River City Publishing (Montgomery, Alabama) first edition, 2002 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
River City Publishing (Montgomery, Alabama) first edition, 2002. A single-volume hardcover of 726 pages, stated first edition, first printing. McCammon's return after a roughly decade-long hiatus and the first Matthew Corbett novel.

## Is this the true first?
US River City hardcover is the true first. The 2003 Pocket Books paperback reprint split the novel into two volumes; two-volume sets are reprints, not firsts.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; small-press trade hardcover.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Speaks the Nightbird* by Robert R. McCammon a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/speaks-the-nightbird
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.