# Is "The Glass Rainbow" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Glass Rainbow by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2010) is identified by: First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 at the left of the line confirms the first printing. US Simon & Schuster edition (2010, ISBN 978-1-4391-2828-2) is the accepted true first; a UK Orion hardcover of the same year is near-simultaneous and is treated as a parallel first for this American author.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 at the left of the line confirms the first printing
- Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price at the top of the front flap (price-clipping does not by itself unmake a first, but an intact printed price is expected on a collector's copy)
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2010 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the… |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First printing states 'First Edition' on the copyright page beneath the full Simon & Schuster number line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2; the presence of the 1 at the left of the line confirms the first printing. Issued in a pictorial dust jacket that should retain its printed price at the top of the front flap (price-clipping does not by itself unmake a first, but an intact printed price is expected on a collector's copy).

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster edition (2010, ISBN 978-1-4391-2828-2) is the accepted true first; a UK Orion hardcover of the same year is near-simultaneous and is treated as a parallel first for this American author.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant book-club edition of note; later printings drop the 1 from the number line while otherwise retaining the 'First Edition' slug, so verify the number line rather than the printed words alone.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Glass Rainbow* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-glass-rainbow
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.