# Is "The Hades Factor" by Robert Ludlum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Hades Factor by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin's Press, 2000) is identified by: Martin's states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. US St.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Martin's states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page
- Written with Gayle Lynds; the first Covert-One novel
- Publisher imprint reads St. Martin's Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Ludlum |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Martin's states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
St. Martin's states 'First Edition' with a number line ending in 1 on the copyright page. Written with Gayle Lynds; the first Covert-One novel.

## Is this the true first?
US St. Martin's Press hardcover is the true first. A St. Martin's Griffin paperback also exists but is not the first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings and reprints show a shortened number line no longer ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Hades Factor* by Robert Ludlum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-hades-factor
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.