# Is "The Mailman" by Bentley Little a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Mailman by Bentley Little (Onyx, 1991) is identified by: Onyx (Signet/NAL) mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a full number line. US Onyx paperback original is the first edition available at retail.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Onyx (Signet/NAL) mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a full number line
- This is the first trade edition
- Publisher imprint reads Onyx
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Bentley Little |
| Publisher | Onyx |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Onyx (Signet/NAL) mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a full number line |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Onyx (Signet/NAL) mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a full number line. This is the first trade edition.

## Is this the true first?
US Onyx paperback original is the first edition available at retail. Cemetery Dance later issued a first-thus hardcover.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
A 1991 hardcover book-club edition also exists and is a book club printing, not the true first; it carries no jacket price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Mailman* by Bentley Little a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-mailman
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.