# Is "The Consultant" by Bentley Little a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Consultant by Bentley Little (Cemetery Dance, 2015) is identified by: Cemetery Dance first edition, 2015: signed and numbered hardcover limited to 750 copies, a deluxe hand-lettered leather-bound edition of 52, plus a trade hardcover. Cemetery Dance is the true first; this was the world's first publication of the title.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Cemetery Dance first edition, 2015: signed and numbered hardcover limited to 750 copies, a deluxe hand-lettered leather-bound edition of 52, plus a trade hardcover
- World's first publication of the novel
- Publisher imprint reads Cemetery Dance
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bentley Little |
| Publisher | Cemetery Dance |
| Year | 2015 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Cemetery Dance first edition, 2015: signed and numbered hardcover limited to 750 copies… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Cemetery Dance first edition, 2015: signed and numbered hardcover limited to 750 copies, a deluxe hand-lettered leather-bound edition of 52, plus a trade hardcover. World's first publication of the novel.

## Is this the true first?
Cemetery Dance is the true first; this was the world's first publication of the title.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Consultant* by Bentley Little a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-consultant
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.