# Is "The Investigator" by John Sandford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Investigator by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2022) is identified by: The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, the terminal 1 denoting the first printing. The US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, the terminal 1 denoting the first printing
- Issued as a trade hardcover in Putnam's usual cloth-and-board binding with spine stamping, in a pictorial dust jacket whose front flap bears the printed price (present and unclipped on an unaltered first-issue jacket)
- Signed first printings were issued with the author's signature on a publisher's tipped-in signature leaf rather than signed directly on the title page
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Sandford |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 2022 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing carries the full number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, the terminal 1 denoting the first printing. Issued as a trade hardcover in Putnam's usual cloth-and-board binding with spine stamping, in a pictorial dust jacket whose front flap bears the printed price (present and unclipped on an unaltered first-issue jacket). Signed first printings were issued with the author's signature on a publisher's tipped-in signature leaf rather than signed directly on the title page.

## Is this the true first?
The US G.P. Putnam's Sons edition is the true first; first Letty Davenport novel, published in 2022, launching her own series as a spin-off from the Prey books. A UK Simon & Schuster edition of the same year is a separate printing, not the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book club edition concerns for this recent trade hardcover; confirm the complete descending number line ending in 1, as later printings drop the terminal 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Investigator* by John Sandford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-investigator
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.