# Is "Everybody Dies" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Everybody Dies by Lawrence Block (William Morrow, 1998) is identified by: First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-14182-X. The US William Morrow edition is the true first; fourteenth Matthew Scudder novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-14182-X. The first printing carries 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete descending number line ending in 1; the terminal '1' confirms the first printing
- The volume is bound in black boards with red lettering on the spine
- The dust jacket is designed by Bradford Foltz and should retain its printed price on the front flap (price-clipped copies remain firsts, but the price should originally have been present)
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-14182-X. The first printing carries 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-14182-X. The first printing carries 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete descending number line ending in 1; the terminal '1' confirms the first printing. The volume is bound in black boards with red lettering on the spine. The dust jacket is designed by Bradford Foltz and should retain its printed price on the front flap (price-clipped copies remain firsts, but the price should originally have been present).

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow edition is the true first; fourteenth Matthew Scudder novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club-edition confusion is documented for this title. A book-club printing would lack the stated 'First Edition' line and the full number line, and its jacket would carry no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Everybody Dies* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/everybody-dies
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.