# Is "The Dark Hours" by Michael Connelly a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, 2021) is identified by: The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the presence of the terminal 1 confirms the first printing. US Little, Brown and Company is the true first, published November 2021; a Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the presence of the terminal 1 confirms the first printing
- Issued in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present at the lower flap corner), a photographic/design jacket for the Ballard-Bosch title
- This is the standard Little, Brown first-printing convention of the period: stated First Edition plus the full number line
- Publisher imprint reads Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Michael Connelly |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Year | 2021 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete descending number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1; the presence of the terminal 1 confirms the first printing. Issued in a priced dust jacket (the printed price should be present at the lower flap corner), a photographic/design jacket for the Ballard-Bosch title. This is the standard Little, Brown first-printing convention of the period: stated First Edition plus the full number line.

## Is this the true first?
US Little, Brown and Company is the true first, published November 2021; a Renee Ballard and Harry Bosch novel. The UK Orion edition is a separate simultaneous printing and is not the American first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; later Little, Brown printings drop the 1 from the number line and generally omit or alter the First Edition statement, distinguishing them from the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dark Hours* by Michael Connelly a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dark-hours
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.