# Is "The Nightrunners" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Nightrunners by Joe R. Lansdale (Dark Harvest, 1987) is identified by: Dark Harvest (Arlington Heights, Illinois) first edition, with introduction by Dean R. Dark Harvest is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Dark Harvest (Arlington Heights, Illinois) first edition, with introduction by Dean R. Koontz and illustrations by Gregory Manchess; first appearance of Lansdale's God of the Razor
- Issued as a trade hardcover plus a signed limited: 300 numbered copies signed by Lansdale, Koontz, and Manchess, and 26 lettered copies (bound in white simulated leather, no jacket, in a wood slipcase)
- Publisher imprint reads Dark Harvest
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Dark Harvest |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Dark Harvest (Arlington Heights, Illinois) first edition, with introduction by Dean R.… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Dark Harvest (Arlington Heights, Illinois) first edition, with introduction by Dean R. Koontz and illustrations by Gregory Manchess; first appearance of Lansdale's God of the Razor. Issued as a trade hardcover plus a signed limited: 300 numbered copies signed by Lansdale, Koontz, and Manchess, and 26 lettered copies (bound in white simulated leather, no jacket, in a wood slipcase).

## Is this the true first?
Dark Harvest is the true first. The signed numbered and lettered states are the collectible issues; the trade issue is the same first-edition year.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
N/A.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Nightrunners* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-nightrunners
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.