How to identify a first printing
- Bantam used a code on the copyright page indicating printing and date in some eras; in the modern era a descending number line ending in '1' marks the first printing.
- Mass-market originals: the paperback is the first edition; reprints of hardcovers are firsts-thus only.
- Bantam serial/control number plus printing statement ('First Bantam edition / month year') fixes the printing.
Notable points & cautions
- Black Lizard (founded by Barry Gifford, later absorbed into Random House's Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) reprinted noir (Jim Thompson, David Goodis) — those are reprints of mid-century firsts, valuable as revivals but not original firsts.
- Bantam Crime Line was a 1980s-90s mystery imprint; identify by the Crime Line logo plus number line.
- Don't confuse a 'First Bantam edition' (first paperback) with the true first hardcover from another house.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Bantam Books, Bantam Crime Line, Black Lizard (later Vintage Crime/Black Lizard under Random House). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. Bantam used a code on the copyright page indicating printing and date in some eras; in the modern era a descending number line ending in '1' marks the first printing. Mass-market originals: the paperback is the first edition; reprints of hardcovers are firsts-thus only.
Does Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) use a number line?
Mass-market originals: the paperback is the first edition; reprints of hardcovers are firsts-thus only.
Is a book-club edition a Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Black Lizard (founded by Barry Gifford, later absorbed into Random House's Vintage Crime/Black Lizard) reprinted noir (Jim Thompson, David Goodis) — those are reprints of mid-century firsts, valuable as revivals but not original firsts.
What era does this cover?
This covers Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) (1945-present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) titles with documented first-edition points
Each link opens that title’s specific points of issue — the exact marks that separate a true first printing from a later one.
- 77 Shadow Street (Dean Koontz, 2011)
- A Brief History of Time — deeper Hawking: Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays (Stephen Hawking, 1993)
- A Brief History of Time — deeper Hawking: The Universe in a Nutshell (Stephen Hawking, 2001)
- A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes (Stephen Hawking, 1988)
- An Appetite for Wonder: The Making of a Scientist (Richard Dawkins, 2013)
- Ashley Bell (Dean Koontz, 2015)
- Bad Love (Jonathan Kellerman, 1994)
- Big Red Tequila (Tres Navarre 1) (Rick Riordan, 1997)
- Books Do Furnish a Life: Reading and Writing Science (Richard Dawkins, 2021)
- Borden Chantry (Louis L'Amour, 1977)
- Breathless (Dean Koontz, 2009)
- Brief Candle in the Dark: My Life in Science (Richard Dawkins, 2015)
- Brother Odd (Dean Koontz, 2006)
- By the Light of the Moon (Dean Koontz, 2002)
- Callaghen (Louis L'Amour, 1972)
- Catlow (Louis L'Amour, 1963)
- Chancy (Louis L'Amour, 1968)
- Cold in July (Joe R. Lansdale, 1989)
- Comstock Lode (Louis L'Amour, 1981)
- Conagher (Louis L'Amour, 1969)
- Deadhouse Gates (Malazan 2) (Steven Erikson, 2000)
- Deeply Odd (Dean Koontz, 2013)
- Demon Seed (Dean Koontz, 1973)
- Devil's Waltz (Jonathan Kellerman, 1993)
Documenting 148 Bantam (mystery/thriller mass-market) titles in all — browse the full title-by-title library →