# Is "Sacred" by Dennis Lehane a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sacred by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow, 1997) is identified by: First edition, first printing, William Morrow and Company, 1997, octavo, ISBN 0-688-14381-4. The US William Morrow edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing, William Morrow and Company, 1997, octavo, ISBN 0-688-14381-4
- The copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
- Quarter-bound in paper and cloth over boards with a stamped spine, in a glossy pictorial dust jacket priced on the front flap
- Third of the Kenzie and Gennaro novels
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dennis Lehane |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1997 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing, William Morrow and Company, 1997, octavo, ISBN 0-688-14381-4 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing, William Morrow and Company, 1997, octavo, ISBN 0-688-14381-4. The copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10. Quarter-bound in paper and cloth over boards with a stamped spine, in a glossy pictorial dust jacket priced on the front flap. Third of the Kenzie and Gennaro novels.

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow edition is the true first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book-club edition is identified by the rear-board blindstamp, the absent number line, and the unpriced jacket.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sacred* by Dennis Lehane a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sacred
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.