# Is ""U" Is for Undertow" by Sue Grafton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of "U" Is for Undertow by Sue Grafton (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2009) is identified by: First printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the full sequence present and ending in 1; both the words and the full line must be present. US Marian Wood Books / G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the full sequence present and ending in 1; both the words and the full line must be present
- Issued in 2009 under the Marian Wood Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint (ISBN 0-399-15597-X; 978-0-399-15597-0)
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; a price-clipped copy is still a first when the copyright-page points are present
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sue Grafton |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 2009 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First printing states "First Edition" on the copyright page together with a complete number line reading 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the full sequence present and ending in 1; both the words and the full line must be present. Issued in 2009 under the Marian Wood Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons imprint (ISBN 0-399-15597-X; 978-0-399-15597-0). The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap; a price-clipped copy is still a first when the copyright-page points are present.

## Is this the true first?
US Marian Wood Books / G.P. Putnam's Sons edition is the accepted true first; twenty-first Kinsey Millhone alphabet mystery.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions lack the stated "First Edition" and full number line and carry no printed jacket price; any added-printing statement on the copyright page marks a later Putnam printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *"U" Is for Undertow* by Sue Grafton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/u-is-for-undertow
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.