# Is "The Devil Knows You're Dead" by Lawrence Block a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Devil Knows You're Dead by Lawrence Block (William Morrow, 1993) is identified by: First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-12192-6. The US William Morrow edition is the true first; eleventh Matthew Scudder novel.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-12192-6
- The first printing carries 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete descending number line ending in 1; the terminal '1' confirms the first printing
- The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (price-clipped copies remain firsts, but the price should originally have been present)
- Publisher imprint reads William Morrow
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Lawrence Block |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-12192-6 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First trade hardcover, ISBN 0-688-12192-6. The first printing carries 'First Edition' stated on the copyright page together with a complete descending number line ending in 1; the terminal '1' confirms the first printing. The first-issue dust jacket should retain its printed price on the front flap (price-clipped copies remain firsts, but the price should originally have been present).

## Is this the true first?
The US William Morrow edition is the true first; eleventh Matthew Scudder novel.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club-edition confusion is documented for this title. Any book-club printing would lack the stated 'First Edition' line and number line, and its jacket would carry no printed price.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Devil Knows You're Dead* by Lawrence Block a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-devil-knows-youre-dead
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.