# Is "What the Night Knows" by Dean Koontz a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of What the Night Knows by Dean Koontz (Bantam, 2010) is identified by: Bantam trade hardcover, published December 2010. The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first; UK editions and the large print and book club versions do not precede it.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Bantam trade hardcover, published December 2010
- First printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a large print trade paperback marked First Large Print Edition appeared simultaneously and should not be confused with the trade hardcover
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dean Koontz |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Bantam trade hardcover, published December 2010 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Bantam trade hardcover, published December 2010. First printing has a complete number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; a large print trade paperback marked First Large Print Edition appeared simultaneously and should not be confused with the trade hardcover.

## Is this the true first?
The Bantam US trade hardcover is the true first; UK editions and the large print and book club versions do not precede it.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club editions (standard and large print) were released the same month; they lack the copyright-page number line and carry no printed price on the jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *What the Night Knows* by Dean Koontz a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/what-the-night-knows
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.