# Is "The Prometheus Deception" by Robert Ludlum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Prometheus Deception by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin's Press, 2000) is identified by: The first US edition is the St. The US St.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first US edition is the St
- Martin's Press hardcover of 2000, stating 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a full number line descending to 1
- Roughly 509 pages, octavo
- The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap; a price-clipped flap does not by itself demote a first printing, but on an unclipped copy the printed price should be present
- Later printings and book-club states show a copyright page whose number line no longer runs down to 1, and book-club issues are typically smaller, lack the printed jacket price, and often carry a blind stamp to the rear board
- Publisher imprint reads St. Martin's Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Ludlum |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first US edition is the St |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first US edition is the St. Martin's Press hardcover of 2000, stating 'First Edition' on the copyright page above a full number line descending to 1. Roughly 509 pages, octavo. The first-issue dust jacket carries the original printed price on the front flap; a price-clipped flap does not by itself demote a first printing, but on an unclipped copy the printed price should be present. Later printings and book-club states show a copyright page whose number line no longer runs down to 1, and book-club issues are typically smaller, lack the printed jacket price, and often carry a blind stamp to the rear board.

## Is this the true first?
The US St. Martin's Press hardcover is the true first. This was the last of Ludlum's novels published in his lifetime; he died in March 2001, so the 2000 St. Martin's first printing is the earliest state of a work issued shortly before the author's death.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings show a shortened number line no longer ending in 1. Book-club editions are distinguished by their smaller trim, a rear-board blind stamp, and a dust jacket lacking the printed price found on the trade first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Prometheus Deception* by Robert Ludlum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-prometheus-deception
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.