# Is ""G" Is for Gumshoe" by Sue Grafton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of "G" Is for Gumshoe by Sue Grafton (Henry Holt and Company, 1990) is identified by: The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete number line ending in the 1 that denotes the first printing. US Henry Holt edition is the true first; seventh Kinsey Millhone novel; won the 1991 Shamus Award for Best PI Novel and the 1991 Anthony Award for Best Novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete number line ending in the 1 that denotes the first printing
- The book is an octavo of about 261 pages bound in a black cloth spine with scarlet lettering over light grey boards
- The first-issue pictorial dust jacket, showing a large "G" and a VW Beetle, was illustrated by Greg Goebel; a correct first jacket retains the original printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sue Grafton |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 1990 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete number line ending in the 1 that denotes the first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The copyright page states "First Edition" and carries a complete number line ending in the 1 that denotes the first printing. The book is an octavo of about 261 pages bound in a black cloth spine with scarlet lettering over light grey boards. The first-issue pictorial dust jacket, showing a large "G" and a VW Beetle, was illustrated by Greg Goebel; a correct first jacket retains the original printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt edition is the true first; seventh Kinsey Millhone novel; won the 1991 Shamus Award for Best PI Novel and the 1991 Anthony Award for Best Novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition is identified by a blindstamp impressed in the rear board and by a dust jacket with no printed price on the flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *"G" Is for Gumshoe* by Sue Grafton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/g-is-for-gumshoe
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.