# Is "The Affair" by Lee Child a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Affair by Lee Child (Delacorte Press, 2011) is identified by: The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line beginning with 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10); on a first printing the lowest number present is 1. Unusually for the series, the US Delacorte Press edition (27 September 2011) preceded the UK Bantam Press edition (29 September 2011) by two days, making the US Delacorte the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line beginning with 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10); on a first printing the lowest number present is 1
- The hardcover is issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present, though whether that flap is clipped does not by itself affect first-edition status
- ISBN 978-0-385-34432-6
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lee Child |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line beginning with 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states 'First Edition' and carries a full number line beginning with 1 (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10); on a first printing the lowest number present is 1. The hardcover is issued in a dust jacket bearing the printed cover price on the front flap, which should be present, though whether that flap is clipped does not by itself affect first-edition status. ISBN 978-0-385-34432-6.

## Is this the true first?
Unusually for the series, the US Delacorte Press edition (27 September 2011) preceded the UK Bantam Press edition (29 September 2011) by two days, making the US Delacorte the true first. Sixteenth Reacher novel; a prequel set before Killing Floor.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None significant.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Affair* by Lee Child a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-affair
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.