# Is "The Sigma Protocol" by Robert Ludlum a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Sigma Protocol by Robert Ludlum (St. Martin's Press, 2001) is identified by: Martin's Press, New York, 2001, with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (St. US St.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Martin's Press, New York, 2001, with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (St
- Martin's designates a first printing solely by the full number line to 1, without a separate 'First Edition' slug)
- A hardcover of 535 pages bound in black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, in a priced first-state dust jacket that should retain its printed price (ISBN 0312276885)
- Publisher imprint reads St. Martin's Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Robert Ludlum |
| Publisher | St. Martin's Press |
| Year | 2001 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Martin's Press, New York, 2001, with a complete number line descending to 1 on the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
St. Martin's Press, New York, 2001, with a complete number line descending to 1 on the copyright page (St. Martin's designates a first printing solely by the full number line to 1, without a separate 'First Edition' slug). A hardcover of 535 pages bound in black boards with the spine lettered in gilt, in a priced first-state dust jacket that should retain its printed price (ISBN 0312276885).

## Is this the true first?
US St. Martin's Press first edition, October 2001. Published a few months after Ludlum's death in March 2001; it was the last novel released under his name during that period.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club and later reprint copies lack the full number line ending in 1 and often show a book-club blind stamp on the rear board with a jacket bearing no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Sigma Protocol* by Robert Ludlum a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-sigma-protocol
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.