# Is "White Doves at Morning" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of White Doves at Morning by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2002) is identified by: "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). US Simon & Schuster edition (New York, 2002, ISBN 0743244710, ISBN-13 9780743244718) is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1)
- Simon & Schuster hardcover in dust jacket; the first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | "First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
"First Edition" stated on the copyright page above a complete descending number line ending in 1 (10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). Simon & Schuster hardcover in dust jacket; the first-issue jacket carries the printed cover price on the flap, which should be present and unclipped on a collector's copy.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster edition (New York, 2002, ISBN 0743244710, ISBN-13 9780743244718) is the true first. This is a Civil War-era historical standalone drawn partly from Burke's own ancestors, the Perry and Burke families, with battle scenes at Shiloh and in the Shenandoah Valley and settings in Louisiana, not the Holland family of his other series.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition is likely to be confused with the true first; the stated First Edition with full number line ending in 1 identifies the first printing. Later printings drop the 1 from the number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *White Doves at Morning* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/white-doves-at-morning
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.