# Is "Hit Man" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Hit Man by Lawrence Block (William Morrow, 1998) is identified by: Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1. US William Morrow hardcover of 1998 is the true first; there was no preceding UK or other-territory edition of this collection.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1
- First US trade hardcover in dust jacket
- ISBN 0-688-14179-X on the flap and to the copyright page
- This is the first Keller book, a collection of linked stories about Keller, a gun for hire dispatched from White Plains, New York through an intermediary named Dot; the first-issue jacket retains its printed price at the flap corner
- 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 | Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Stated 'First Edition' on the copyright page together with a full number line descending to 1. First US trade hardcover in dust jacket; ISBN 0-688-14179-X on the flap and to the copyright page. This is the first Keller book, a collection of linked stories about Keller, a gun for hire dispatched from White Plains, New York through an intermediary named Dot; the first-issue jacket retains its printed price at the flap corner.

## Is this the true first?
US William Morrow hardcover of 1998 is the true first; there was no preceding UK or other-territory edition of this collection.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None significant for identification; rely on the stated 'First Edition' plus the number line ending in 1, and the presence of the printed jacket price. A later mass-market paperback carries ISBN 0-380-72541-X and should not be confused with the hardcover first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Hit Man* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/hit-man
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.