# Is "The Crook Factory" by Dan Simmons a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Crook Factory by Dan Simmons (Avon, 1999) is identified by: Avon Books hardcover, New York, 1999 (ISBN 0-380-97368-4). The US Avon edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Avon Books hardcover, New York, 1999 (ISBN 0-380-97368-4)
- The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page and has deckled fore-edges
- The book is bound in boards, roughly one-quarter dark brown over mottered gray sides, with copper spine lettering; the priced jacket should retain its printed price
- Publisher imprint reads Avon
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dan Simmons |
| Publisher | Avon |
| Year | 1999 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Avon Books hardcover, New York, 1999 (ISBN 0-380-97368-4) |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Avon Books hardcover, New York, 1999 (ISBN 0-380-97368-4). The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page and has deckled fore-edges. The book is bound in boards, roughly one-quarter dark brown over mottered gray sides, with copper spine lettering; the priced jacket should retain its printed price.

## Is this the true first?
The US Avon edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the number line and the printed jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Crook Factory* by Dan Simmons a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-crook-factory
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.