# Is "The Vision" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Vision by Dean Koontz (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1977) is identified by: Putnam hardcover first, in cloth-backed boards. US Putnam (1977) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Putnam hardcover first, in cloth-backed boards
- This early title carries no statement of printing on the copyright page (the absence of a later-printing statement, with the priced jacket, identifies the first); it does not carry a 1-to-10 number line
- A scarce early own-name Koontz hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1977 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Putnam hardcover first, in cloth-backed boards |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Putnam hardcover first, in cloth-backed boards. This early title carries no statement of printing on the copyright page (the absence of a later-printing statement, with the priced jacket, identifies the first); it does not carry a 1-to-10 number line. A scarce early own-name Koontz hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
US Putnam (1977) is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Putnam book club edition lacks the printed jacket price and carries a blind-stamped dot to the rear board.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Vision* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-vision
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-04.