# Is "Time Bomb" by Jonathan Kellerman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Time Bomb by Jonathan Kellerman (Bantam, 1990) is identified by: The first printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-05796-0) states FIRST EDITION on the copyright page together with the complete descending printer's number line ending in 1. US Bantam hardcover is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The first printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-05796-0) states FIRST EDITION on the copyright page together with the complete descending printer's number line ending in 1
- The book runs 468 pages in publisher's cloth issued in a pictorial dust jacket; the first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap, so an unclipped jacket is the desirable state, though the printing point resides in the number line rather than the jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Kellerman |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The first printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-05796-0) states FIRST EDITION on… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The first printing of the Bantam hardcover (ISBN 0-553-05796-0) states FIRST EDITION on the copyright page together with the complete descending printer's number line ending in 1. The book runs 468 pages in publisher's cloth issued in a pictorial dust jacket; the first-issue jacket carries the printed price on the front flap, so an unclipped jacket is the desirable state, though the printing point resides in the number line rather than the jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Bantam hardcover is the true first. Fifth Alex Delaware novel, following When the Bough Breaks (1985), Blood Test (1986), Over the Edge (1987), and Silent Partner (1989). A UK edition followed under a separate imprint, but the New York Bantam issue holds precedence.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club point that misleads identification; the FIRST EDITION statement together with the full number line ending in 1 is the reliable first-printing tell, and later Bantam mass-market paperbacks (e.g. ISBN 0-553-29170-4) are a distinct, non-first format.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Time Bomb* by Jonathan Kellerman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/time-bomb
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.