# Is "The Bourne Supremacy" by Robert Ludlum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Bourne Supremacy by Robert Ludlum (Random House, 1986) is identified by: Random House states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a number line ending in 2 (for example 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2). US Random House trade first, New York, 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Random House states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a number line ending in 2 (for example 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2)
- Issued in cloth over boards, gilt-stamped spine, in a first-issue dust jacket bearing the printed price on the front flap, which should be present (unclipped)
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Ludlum |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1986 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Random House states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a number line ending in 2… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Random House states 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a number line ending in 2 (for example 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2). Issued in cloth over boards, gilt-stamped spine, in a first-issue dust jacket bearing the printed price on the front flap, which should be present (unclipped).

## Is this the true first?
US Random House trade first, New York, 1986.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions omit the 'First Edition' statement and number line and are typically smaller with a blindstamp to the rear board; their jackets carry no printed price. A Franklin Library issue also exists as a separate simultaneous variant: signed, bound in full gilt-accented leather with gilt edges and issued without a dust jacket, and it includes a special author's introduction not in the trade edition. It is a distinct collector variant, not the Random House trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Bourne Supremacy* by Robert Ludlum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-bourne-supremacy
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.