# Is "The Last Precinct" by Patricia Cornwell a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Last Precinct by Patricia Cornwell (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2000) is identified by: First edition, first printing. US G.P.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing
- The copyright page carries the Putnam 'First Edition' statement together with a complete descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the terminal 1 confirming the first printing
- Issued in the first-issue, unclipped dust jacket with the printed price present to the flap
- ISBN 0-399-14625-3
- Publisher imprint reads G.P. Putnam's Sons
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Patricia Cornwell |
| Publisher | G.P. Putnam's Sons |
| Year | 2000 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing. The copyright page carries the Putnam 'First Edition' statement together with a complete descending number line reading 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, the terminal 1 confirming the first printing. Issued in the first-issue, unclipped dust jacket with the printed price present to the flap; ISBN 0-399-14625-3.

## Is this the true first?
US G.P. Putnam's Sons is the true first (2000). Eleventh novel in the Kay Scarpetta series, following Black Notice.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant competing trade state; a separate signed limited edition of 175 copies exists but is a distinct issue, not the trade first. Verify the trade first by the full number line ending in 1 alongside the 'First Edition' statement.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Last Precinct* by Patricia Cornwell a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-last-precinct
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.