# Is "Sudden Prey" by John Sandford a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Sudden Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1996) is identified by: First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete descending number line ending in 1 (the full form reads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) under the G.P. US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete descending number line ending in 1 (the full form reads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) under the G.P. Putnam's Sons New York imprint
- Eighth Lucas Davenport 'Prey' novel; the first-issue jacket should carry the original printed price on the front flap (present price is the point; a clipped flap does not by itself disqualify a first printing)
- Later Putnam printings advance the number line so the low digit is no longer 1
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | John Sandford |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 1996 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete descending number line ending in 1 (the full form reads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition so stated on the copyright page, with a complete descending number line ending in 1 (the full form reads 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) under the G.P. Putnam's Sons New York imprint. Eighth Lucas Davenport 'Prey' novel; the first-issue jacket should carry the original printed price on the front flap (present price is the point; a clipped flap does not by itself disqualify a first printing). Later Putnam printings advance the number line so the low digit is no longer 1.

## Is this the true first?
US G.P. Putnam's Sons (New York), 1996, is the true first edition; no prior foreign edition precedes it. A Berkley mass-market paperback followed as a reprint.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition issue affects the first printing; identification rests on the stated 'First edition' and the number line terminating in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Sudden Prey* by John Sandford a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/sudden-prey
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.