# Is "The Killer Inside Me" by Jim Thompson a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson (Lion Books, 1952) is identified by: True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99 (1952), the printed price. The paperback IS the true first; Thompson's classic Lion/Lion Library titles were nearly all paperback originals.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99
- , the printed price
- Wraps-only; no hardcover precedes it
- Lion Books logo on spine/cover and the catalog number 99 identify the issue
- A cornerstone Thompson paperback original and his most collected title
- Publisher imprint reads Lion Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jim Thompson |
| Publisher | Lion Books |
| Year | 1952 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
True first is the paperback original, Lion Books #99 (1952), the printed price. Wraps-only; no hardcover precedes it. Lion Books logo on spine/cover and the catalog number 99 identify the issue. A cornerstone Thompson paperback original and his most collected title.

## Is this the true first?
The paperback IS the true first; Thompson's classic Lion/Lion Library titles were nearly all paperback originals. Much later hardcover reprints (e.g., later collected/reissued editions) are 'first thus' only.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition. Distinguish the Lion #99 first from the later Lion Library reissue and from modern reprints (Black Lizard, Mulholland, etc.), which are obvious modern editions.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Killer Inside Me* by Jim Thompson a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-killer-inside-me
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.