# Is "Sunset Limited" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sunset Limited by James Lee Burke (Doubleday, 1998) is identified by: First US trade edition (Doubleday, New York, 1998; ISBN 0385488424) states First Edition on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1. US Doubleday is the true first edition; tenth Dave Robicheaux novel and Burke's first Robicheaux title with Doubleday after the Hyperion run.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First US trade edition (Doubleday, New York, 1998
- ISBN 0385488424) states First Edition on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1
- Bound in quarter gray cloth over cream boards, octavo, 309 pages
- The first-issue dust jacket should carry the original printed price at the upper inner flap and is not price-clipped in the true first state
- Publisher imprint reads Doubleday
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First US trade edition (Doubleday, New York, 1998 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
First US trade edition (Doubleday, New York, 1998; ISBN 0385488424) states First Edition on the copyright page with a full number line descending to 1. Bound in quarter gray cloth over cream boards, octavo, 309 pages. The first-issue dust jacket should carry the original printed price at the upper inner flap and is not price-clipped in the true first state.

## Is this the true first?
US Doubleday is the true first edition; tenth Dave Robicheaux novel and Burke's first Robicheaux title with Doubleday after the Hyperion run. An advance reading copy in wrappers precedes the trade issue but is not a marketed first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None significant for the trade first edition. A UK edition (Orion) also appeared but does not precede the US Doubleday first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sunset Limited* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sunset-limited
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.