# Is "Trevayne" by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Trevayne by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) (Delacorte Press, 1973) is identified by: True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1973, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket. The 1973 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1973, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1973… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press in 1973, with the first-printing indicated on the copyright page per Delacorte practice and an unclipped priced jacket.

## Is this the true first?
The 1973 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first. Ludlum used the pseudonym because a novelist was not then expected to publish more than one book a year. The novel was later reissued under Ludlum's own name (1989); that reissue is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Later Ludlum-credited reissue is not the true first; book-club copies lack the first-printing indicators.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Trevayne* by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/trevayne
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.