# Is "The Fool's Run" by John Sandford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Fool's Run by John Sandford (Henry Holt and Company, 1989) is identified by: The true first edition is bylined JOHN CAMP, the author's real name, not John Sandford. US Henry Holt (1989) is the true first, and it appears under the byline John Camp.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is bylined JOHN CAMP, the author's real name, not John Sandford
- Look for 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete number line descending to 1, in the priced dust jacket
- Red cloth over boards
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Sandford |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is bylined JOHN CAMP, the author's real name, not John Sandford |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is bylined JOHN CAMP, the author's real name, not John Sandford. Look for 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page with a complete number line descending to 1, in the priced dust jacket. Red cloth over boards.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt (1989) is the true first, and it appears under the byline John Camp. It is the first Kidd novel. The Prey series was published simultaneously under the Sandford pseudonym; the John Sandford-bylined edition of this title is a later 1990s reissue, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A book-club edition exists lacking the jacket price and typically bearing a blindstamp or dot on the rear board; confirm the priced jacket and stated First Edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Fool's Run* by John Sandford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-fools-run
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.