# Is "The Running Grave" by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) (Sphere / Little, Brown, 2023) is identified by: Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Sphere' with a full number line descending to 1. UK Sphere edition is conventionally cataloged as the first edition (published September 2023), released alongside the US Mulholland edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Sphere' with a full number line descending to 1
- UK Sphere hardcover
- The US first (Mulholland Books) carries its own number line to 1
- Publisher imprint reads Sphere / Little, Brown
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) |
| Publisher | Sphere / Little, Brown |
| Year | 2023 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Children's / illustrated |
| Key point | Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Sphere' with a full… |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states 'First published in Great Britain in 2023 by Sphere' with a full number line descending to 1. UK Sphere hardcover. The US first (Mulholland Books) carries its own number line to 1.

## Is this the true first?
UK Sphere edition is conventionally cataloged as the first edition (published September 2023), released alongside the US Mulholland edition. UK precedence rests on cataloging convention rather than a clear date gap.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later printings advance the number line so that 1 is no longer present.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Running Grave* by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-running-grave
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.