# Is "The Cry of the Halidon" by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Cry of the Halidon by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) (Delacorte Press, 1974) is identified by: True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1974, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket. The 1974 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1974, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1974 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1974… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1974, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The 1974 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first. The novel was later reissued under Ludlum's own name (1996); that reissue is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Ludlum-credited reissue is not the true first; book-club copies lack the first-printing indicators.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Cry of the Halidon* by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-cry-of-the-halidon
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.