# Is "The Dry" by Jane Harper a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Dry by Jane Harper (Pan Macmillan Australia, 2016) is identified by: Australian Pan Macmillan first, 2016 — the true first, preceding the UK and US editions. The Australian Pan Macmillan 2016 edition is the true first; the UK Little, Brown/Abacus and US Flatiron Books editions (2017) are first-thus and later.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Australian Pan Macmillan first, 2016 — the true first, preceding the UK and US editions
- The first Aaron Falk novel; the copyright page shows 'First published 2016' with a number line
- Won the 2017 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction and the 2017 CWA Gold Dagger (the main best-crime-novel award)
- Publisher imprint reads Pan Macmillan Australia
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jane Harper |
| Publisher | Pan Macmillan Australia |
| Year | 2016 |
| True first | Australian edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Australian Pan Macmillan first, 2016 — the true first, preceding the UK and US editions |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Australian Pan Macmillan first, 2016 — the true first, preceding the UK and US editions. The first Aaron Falk novel; the copyright page shows 'First published 2016' with a number line. Won the 2017 Ned Kelly Award for Best First Fiction and the 2017 CWA Gold Dagger (the main best-crime-novel award).

## Is this the true first?
The Australian Pan Macmillan 2016 edition is the true first; the UK Little, Brown/Abacus and US Flatiron Books editions (2017) are first-thus and later.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
UK and US 2017 settings and any book-club editions are not the true first; the Australian 2016 edition has priority.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Dry* by Jane Harper a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-dry
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.