# Is "Feast Day of Fools" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Feast Day of Fools by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2011) is identified by: First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the 1 indicating the first printing. The US Simon & Schuster edition (2011) is the accepted true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the 1 indicating the first printing
- Bound in publisher's boards and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2011 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, the 1 indicating the first printing. Bound in publisher's boards and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster edition (2011) is the accepted true first. This is the third of Burke's modern Hackberry Holland novels, following Rain Gods and Feast Day of Fools' predecessors, and is billed by the publisher as a Holland Family Novel; a UK Orion hardcover of the same year is near-simultaneous.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition of note.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Feast Day of Fools* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/feast-day-of-fools
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.