# Is "Rain Gods" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Rain Gods by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2009) 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 (2009) 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 black boards with silver stamping to the spine and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap; approximately 434 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2009 |
| 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 black boards with silver stamping to the spine and issued in a priced pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price on the front flap; approximately 434 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US Simon & Schuster edition (2009) is the accepted true first. This is the first novel featuring the modern Hackberry Holland (Hackberry Holland Book 2 in the wider Holland Family sequence); 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 *Rain Gods* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/rain-gods
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.