# Is "Shutter Island" by Dennis Lehane a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (William Morrow, 2003) is identified by: William Morrow, 2003; copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line ending in 1. The US William Morrow edition is the true first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- William Morrow, 2003; copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line ending in 1
- Quarter-cloth binding over boards with a deckle-edged text block, roughly 325 pages; the first-issue dust jacket carries its printed price on the front flap (unclipped)
- Standalone novel, published April 2003
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Dennis Lehane |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 2003 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | William Morrow, 2003; copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
William Morrow, 2003; copyright page states 'First Edition' with a full number line ending in 1. Quarter-cloth binding over boards with a deckle-edged text block, roughly 325 pages; the first-issue dust jacket carries its printed price on the front flap (unclipped). Standalone novel, published April 2003.

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

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club printings and unpriced-jacket variants exist; club copies lack the number line and the printed jacket price, and later movie tie-in printings are separate and not the first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Shutter Island* by Dennis Lehane a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/shutter-island
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.