# Is "SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare" by Tom Clancy a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare by Tom Clancy (Berkley Books, 1996) is identified by: Issued by Berkley Books, New York, as a trade paperback original in December 1996 (ISBN 0425159116); the first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1. The US Berkley trade paperback is the US first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Issued by Berkley Books, New York, as a trade paperback original in December 1996 (ISBN 0425159116); the first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1
- Written as a companion to the SSN submarine-combat computer game, the book presents fifteen fact-based mission scenarios aboard the USS Cheyenne and includes maps, photographs, and an interview with Clancy and former submarine commander Doug Littlejohns
- Publisher imprint reads Berkley Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Clancy |
| Publisher | Berkley Books |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Issued by Berkley Books, New York, as a trade paperback original in December 1996 (ISBN 0425159116); the first printing carries a complete… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Issued by Berkley Books, New York, as a trade paperback original in December 1996 (ISBN 0425159116); the first printing carries a complete number line ending in 1. Written as a companion to the SSN submarine-combat computer game, the book presents fifteen fact-based mission scenarios aboard the USS Cheyenne and includes maps, photographs, and an interview with Clancy and former submarine commander Doug Littlejohns.

## Is this the true first?
The US Berkley trade paperback is the US first edition. A HarperCollins UK edition also appeared around the same time, so the absolute 'true first' between US and UK is not cleanly established from available sources.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; later printings show a shortened number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *SSN: Strategies of Submarine Warfare* by Tom Clancy a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/ssn-strategies-of-submarine-warfare
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.