# Is "The Girl Next Door" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum (Warner Books, 1989) is identified by: Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1989 (ISBN 0446349097 / 9780446349093). The 1989 Warner PBO is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1989 (ISBN 0446349097 / 9780446349093)
- First printing stated on the copyright page with the full descending number line
- The first-issue wrapper carries the original photographic 'cheerleader' cover art; as a paperback original there is no dust jacket, and the printed cover price should be present at the top corner
- Publisher imprint reads Warner Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Year | 1989 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1989 (ISBN 0446349097 / 9780446349093) |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1989 (ISBN 0446349097 / 9780446349093). First printing stated on the copyright page with the full descending number line. The first-issue wrapper carries the original photographic 'cheerleader' cover art; as a paperback original there is no dust jacket, and the printed cover price should be present at the top corner.

## Is this the true first?
The 1989 Warner PBO is the true first. The later collectible hardcover is the Overlook Connection Press edition, which adds a long Stephen King introduction and jacket/interior art by Neal McPheeters and was issued in signed limited and lettered states; it is first-thus only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A (paperback original).

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Girl Next Door* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-girl-next-door
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.