# Is "The Lost" by Jack Ketchum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Lost by Jack Ketchum (Leisure, 2001) is identified by: Leisure (Dorchester) mass-market paperback original, dated 2001, first printing carrying a full number line on the copyright page (ISBN 0-8439-4876-0 / 9780843948769). Both the Leisure paperback and the Cemetery Dance hardcover appeared in 2001; several source listings suggest the Cemetery Dance hardcover may have preceded the Leisure paperback, but firm precedence between the two 2001 issues is not established.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Leisure (Dorchester) mass-market paperback original, dated 2001, first printing carrying a full number line on the copyright page (ISBN 0-8439-4876-0 / 9780843948769)
- Cemetery Dance also issued the title in hardcover in 2001 in two states: a signed limited edition of 1,500 copies (ISBN 1-58767-021-6 / 9781587670213, jacket art by Mothertongue) and a deluxe traycased lettered edition of 52 leather-bound copies with satin ribbon marker and additional full-color artwork
- The Cemetery Dance hardcover is the collectible issue
- Publisher imprint reads Leisure
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jack Ketchum |
| Publisher | Leisure |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Leisure (Dorchester) mass-market paperback original, dated 2001, first printing carrying a full number line on the copyright page (ISBN… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Leisure (Dorchester) mass-market paperback original, dated 2001, first printing carrying a full number line on the copyright page (ISBN 0-8439-4876-0 / 9780843948769). Cemetery Dance also issued the title in hardcover in 2001 in two states: a signed limited edition of 1,500 copies (ISBN 1-58767-021-6 / 9781587670213, jacket art by Mothertongue) and a deluxe traycased lettered edition of 52 leather-bound copies with satin ribbon marker and additional full-color artwork. The Cemetery Dance hardcover is the collectible issue.

## Is this the true first?
Both the Leisure paperback and the Cemetery Dance hardcover appeared in 2001; several source listings suggest the Cemetery Dance hardcover may have preceded the Leisure paperback, but firm precedence between the two 2001 issues is not established. The Leisure paperback original is commonly cited as the first edition, while the Cemetery Dance signed limited (and the 52-copy lettered state) is the collector's issue.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Lost* by Jack Ketchum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-lost
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.