# Is "The Alienist" by Caleb Carr a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Alienist by Caleb Carr (Random House, 1994) is identified by: The first printing states "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page together with a full number line running to "2" — Random House's convention from 1970 to roughly 2002, in which the words "First Edition" stand in place of the "1", so a line ending in 2 accompanied by the statement is the first printing, and the same line without the statement is the second. The census claim is confirmed: Random House, New York, 1994 is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing states "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page together with a full number line running to "2" — Random House's convention from 1970 to roughly 2002, in which the words "First Edition" stand in place of the "1", so a line ending in 2 accompanied by the statement is the first printing, and the same line without the statement is the second
- A line containing a "1" is not a Random House first of this period
- Binding is quarter black cloth over brown paper-covered boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine; octavo, 24cm, 496 pp
- The jacket carries the bright pictorial artwork and should be priced, with the price present at the front flap
- First appearance of Dr Laszlo Kreizler
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Caleb Carr |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1994 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing states "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page together with a full number line running to "2" — Random House's convention… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing states "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page together with a full number line running to "2" — Random House's convention from 1970 to roughly 2002, in which the words "First Edition" stand in place of the "1", so a line ending in 2 accompanied by the statement is the first printing, and the same line without the statement is the second. A line containing a "1" is not a Random House first of this period. Binding is quarter black cloth over brown paper-covered boards with the title stamped in gilt on the spine; octavo, 24cm, 496 pp. The jacket carries the bright pictorial artwork and should be priced, with the price present at the front flap. First appearance of Dr Laszlo Kreizler.

## Is this the true first?
The census claim is confirmed: Random House, New York, 1994 is the true first. A UK first edition followed from Little, Brown, London, in 1994 (a distinct issue, ISBN 0316909718) and is collected as the first British edition, but the US issue holds precedence. First-thus trap: the later Bantam and Random House trade-paperback reissues and the 2018 television tie-in printings are reprints regardless of any "first" wording on the cover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies of this title are common and are the single most frequent misdescription in the trade — club copies are routinely listed as "Book Club First Edition", which is not a first edition at all. Separate them on the copyright page, which lacks the "FIRST EDITION" statement; the standard club tells also apply, with a blind stamp to the rear board, no price at the jacket flap, and a smaller trim with lighter boards.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Alienist* by Caleb Carr a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-alienist
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.