# Is "Stranglehold (Only Child)" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Stranglehold (Only Child) by Jack Ketchum (Headline, 1995) is identified by: True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London 1995, under Ketchum's original title Only Child (ISBN 0747211671). UK Headline hardcover Only Child (1995) precedes the US Berkley paperback Stranglehold (September 1995); Berkley retitled the book for the US market.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London 1995, under Ketchum's original title Only Child (ISBN 0747211671)
- The US first is the Berkley paperback original Stranglehold, September 1995 (ISBN 0425149463)
- No Dutton hardcover exists
- Publisher imprint reads Headline
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Headline |
| Year | 1995 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London 1995, under Ketchum's original title Only Child (ISBN 0747211671) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the UK Headline hardcover, London 1995, under Ketchum's original title Only Child (ISBN 0747211671). The US first is the Berkley paperback original Stranglehold, September 1995 (ISBN 0425149463). No Dutton hardcover exists.

## Is this the true first?
UK Headline hardcover Only Child (1995) precedes the US Berkley paperback Stranglehold (September 1995); Berkley retitled the book for the US market. Later US reissues restored the title Only Child.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition reported; the US first is a paperback original, so any US hardcover is a later limited reissue.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Stranglehold (Only Child)* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/stranglehold-only-child
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.