How to identify a first printing
- States 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a descending number line ending in 1.
- Hyperion-era (Disney-owned, pre-2013): used 'First Edition' + number line; sometimes 'First U.S. Edition' for imports.
- Hachette-family standard: stated edition plus line-to-1; reprints drop the statement and/or the 1.
- Check for 'First Edition' AND the 1 together.
Notable points & cautions
- The trade imprint was Hyperion (founded 1991 by Disney); Hachette acquired most of Hyperion's adult list in 2013 and renamed it Hachette Books.
- Part of Hachette Book Group USA (the US arm of French parent Hachette Livre / Lagardère).
- Disney-era Hyperion firsts carry Hyperion imprint on title page — still identified by 'First Edition' + line-to-1.
- Sibling imprints Basic Books and PublicAffairs (Perseus, acquired 2016) follow the same Hachette convention.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Hyperion (former name of the imprint), Voice, Black Dog & Leventhal, Hachette Go, Public Affairs (sister), Basic Books (sister). Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my Hachette Books book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. States 'First Edition' on the copyright page with a descending number line ending in 1. Hyperion-era (Disney-owned, pre-2013): used 'First Edition' + number line; sometimes 'First U.S. Edition' for imports.
Does Hachette Books use a number line?
Hyperion-era (Disney-owned, pre-2013): used 'First Edition' + number line; sometimes 'First U.S. Edition' for imports.
Is a book-club edition a Hachette Books first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. The trade imprint was Hyperion (founded 1991 by Disney); Hachette acquired most of Hyperion's adult list in 2013 and renamed it Hachette Books.
What era does this cover?
This covers Hachette Books (1991 (as Hyperion)–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
Hachette Books 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.
- A Stained White Radiance (James Lee Burke, 1992)
- Bone (Fae Myenne Ng, 1993)
- Burning Angel (James Lee Burke, 1995)
- Cadillac Jukebox (James Lee Burke, 1996)
- Cimarron Rose (James Lee Burke, 1997)
- Death in Venice (Der Tod in Venedig) (Thomas Mann, 1912)
- Dixie City Jam (James Lee Burke, 1994)
- In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead (James Lee Burke, 1993)
- Indigo Slam (Robert Crais, 1997)
- Silent Joe (T. Jefferson Parker, 2001)
- Sunset Express (Robert Crais, 1996)
- The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians 1) (Rick Riordan, 2005)
- The Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson 2) (Rick Riordan, 2006)
- The Supernaturalist (Eoin Colfer, 2004)
- Voodoo River (Robert Crais, 1995)