# Is ""H" Is for Homicide" by Sue Grafton a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of "H" Is for Homicide by Sue Grafton (Henry Holt and Company, 1991) is identified by: Copyright page states "First Edition" with the number line present; the early Henry Holt Kinsey Millhone titles use the split printer's key 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, and the presence of the 1 marks the first printing. US Henry Holt edition is the true first; eighth Kinsey Millhone novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Copyright page states "First Edition" with the number line present; the early Henry Holt Kinsey Millhone titles use the split printer's key 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, and the presence of the 1 marks the first printing
- Bound in quarter black cloth over charcoal-gray boards with neon-green spine lettering; issued in a photographic dust jacket carrying the original printed price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a first-issue jacket
- Publisher imprint reads Henry Holt and Company
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Sue Grafton |
| Publisher | Henry Holt and Company |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Copyright page states "First Edition" with the number line present; the early Henry Holt Kinsey Millhone titles use the split printer's key… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Copyright page states "First Edition" with the number line present; the early Henry Holt Kinsey Millhone titles use the split printer's key 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2, and the presence of the 1 marks the first printing. Bound in quarter black cloth over charcoal-gray boards with neon-green spine lettering; issued in a photographic dust jacket carrying the original printed price on the front flap, which should be present and unclipped on a first-issue jacket.

## Is this the true first?
US Henry Holt edition is the true first; eighth Kinsey Millhone novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club edition is a smaller, lighter volume identified by a blindstamp impressed in the rear board, no first-printing number line, and a dust jacket with no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *"H" Is for Homicide* by Sue Grafton a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/h-is-for-homicide
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.