# Is "The Eiger Sanction" by Trevanian a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Eiger Sanction by Trevanian (Crown, 1972) is identified by: Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the absence of any printing line. The census claim holds.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the absence of any printing line
- Later states self-declare and are common on the market: dealers record "Second printing, November 1972", "Fifth printing, December, 1972", and "Sixth printing, March, 1973", all dated within months of publication because the book reprinted rapidly
- 316 pages, bound in orange cloth over boards, lettered in dark blue on the spine
- A priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy
- Caution, stated honestly: sources are inconsistent as to whether the Crown first printing also carries an explicit "First Edition" line — Crown was transitioning to a stated-first and number-row practice during the 1970s, and dealer listings describe copies variously as "First Edition, Third Printing" and as firsts with no additional printings stated
- Rely on the absence of a printing line, not on the presence or absence of the words "First Edition"
- Publisher imprint reads Crown

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Trevanian |
| Publisher | Crown |
| Year | 1972 |
| True first | British edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Crown's practice at this date was to note later printings on the copyright page, so the first printing is identified negatively — by the absence of any printing line. Later states self-declare and are common on the market: dealers record "Second printing, November 1972", "Fifth printing, December, 1972", and "Sixth printing, March, 1973", all dated within months of publication because the book reprinted rapidly. 316 pages, bound in orange cloth over boards, lettered in dark blue on the spine. A priced jacket with the price present at the front flap is expected on an unclipped copy. Caution, stated honestly: sources are inconsistent as to whether the Crown first printing also carries an explicit "First Edition" line — Crown was transitioning to a stated-first and number-row practice during the 1970s, and dealer listings describe copies variously as "First Edition, Third Printing" and as firsts with no additional printings stated. Rely on the absence of a printing line, not on the presence or absence of the words "First Edition".

## Is this the true first?
The census claim holds. The true first is Crown Publishers (New York), 1972 — the debut under the Trevanian pseudonym (Rodney William Whitaker) — preceding the British first, Heinemann (London), 1973, by a year. Both are collected: the Crown as the true first, the Heinemann as the UK first. First-thus trap: Crown reissued the novel in May 2005 as a trade paperback in a matched set of five Trevanian titles; that is a reprint, not a first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A Book Club Edition was issued and is documented by dealers. Tells: a blind stamp impressed on the rear board (Book-of-the-Month Club used a dot, circle, or square, sometimes coloured), no price at the jacket flap on an unclipped jacket, and lighter bulk with cheaper boards; some BOMC jackets also carry a small dot at the lower right of the rear panel. Because the trade jacket is uncommon, unpriced and clipped jackets are a frequent trap on this title — check the rear board rather than inferring from the jacket alone.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Eiger Sanction* by Trevanian a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-eiger-sanction
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.