# Is "The Murder Book" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Murder Book by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine, 2002) is identified by: The words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line that includes the 1. US Ballantine hardcover is the true first; sixteenth Alex Delaware novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line that includes the 1
- Ballantine hardcover first printings after 1980 carry either First Edition or First Edition with month and year, with the 1 present in the number line
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line that… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The words First Edition stated on the copyright page together with a number line that includes the 1. Ballantine hardcover first printings after 1980 carry either First Edition or First Edition with month and year, with the 1 present in the number line.

## Is this the true first?
US Ballantine hardcover is the true first; sixteenth Alex Delaware novel. This title marks Kellerman's move from the Random House imprint to Ballantine within the same house.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club issue affecting first-edition identification.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Murder Book* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-murder-book
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.