How to identify a first printing
- States 'First Edition' on the copyright page WITH a descending number line ending in 1 ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1').
- Reliable test: explicit 'First Edition' statement together with the number-line 1.
- Pre-modern St. Martin's: first printings identified by absence of later-printing statements plus any 'First Edition' wording.
- Minotaur and Thomas Dunne (imprints) carry their own imprint name on the title page but use the same SMP/Macmillan convention.
Notable points & cautions
- Founded 1952 as the US arm of UK's Macmillan; now part of Macmillan (Holtzbrinck) trade group.
- Minotaur is the flagship mystery/crime imprint; Thomas Dunne Books was a prominent editor imprint (wound down 2020).
- Griffin is the trade-paperback REPRINT line — usually NOT a first.
- Watch for book-club editions of SMP mysteries: BCEs lack the number line / price and have a blind stamp or dot on the rear board.
Imprints
First editions also appear under: Minotaur Books (mystery), Thomas Dunne Books, Griffin (trade paper), St. Martin's Essentials, Wednesday Books (YA), Truman Talley Books, SMP Swerve. Each generally follows the house convention above.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if my St. Martin's Press book is a first edition?
Check the copyright page. States 'First Edition' on the copyright page WITH a descending number line ending in 1 ('10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1'). Reliable test: explicit 'First Edition' statement together with the number-line 1.
Does St. Martin's Press use a number line?
Reliable test: explicit 'First Edition' statement together with the number-line 1.
Is a book-club edition a St. Martin's Press first edition?
No. Book-club editions reprint the text but are not the true first edition. Founded 1952 as the US arm of UK's Macmillan; now part of Macmillan (Holtzbrinck) trade group.
What era does this cover?
This covers St. Martin's Press (1952–present). Conventions changed over time, so confirm the era of your copy.
St. Martin's Press 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 Cold Day in Paradise (Steve Hamilton, 1998)
- A Firing Offense (George Pelecanos, 1992)
- A Planet Called Treason (Orson Scott Card, 1979)
- Air (Geoff Ryman, 2004)
- An Unfortunate Woman: A Journey (Richard Brautigan, 2000)
- Avenger (Frederick Forsyth, 2003)
- Bury Your Dead (Louise Penny, 2010)
- Clay's Ark (Octavia E. Butler, 1984)
- Down by the River Where the Dead Men Go (George Pelecanos, 1995)
- Gateway (Frederik Pohl, 1977)
- Miami Blues (Charles Willeford, 1984)
- Mr. White's Confession (Robert Clark, 1998)
- Nick's Trip (George Pelecanos, 1993)
- Passion Play (Jerzy Kosinski, 1979)
- Reckless Eyeballing (Ishmael Reed, 1986)
- Shoedog (George Pelecanos, 1994)
- The Anatomy of a Murder (Robert Traver, 1958)
- The Beautiful Mystery (Louise Penny, 2012)
- The Big Blowdown (George Pelecanos, 1996)
- The Chemical History of a Candle (Michael Faraday, 1861)
- The Forever War (Joe Haldeman, 1974)
- The Hades Factor (Robert Ludlum, 2000)
- The Nightingale (Kristin Hannah, 2015)
Documenting 29 St. Martin's Press titles in all — browse the full title-by-title library →