# Is "The Tin Roof Blowdown" by James Lee Burke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of The Tin Roof Blowdown by James Lee Burke (Simon & Schuster, 2007) 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 1 at the left of the line indicates the first printing. US Simon & Schuster edition (2007) is the conventionally accepted true first.

**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 1 at the left of the line indicates the first printing
- Issued September 2007 in a pictorial dust jacket that should carry its printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Simon & Schuster
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Lee Burke |
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Year | 2007 |
| 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 1 at… |
| 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 1 at the left of the line indicates the first printing. Issued September 2007 in a pictorial dust jacket that should carry its printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US Simon & Schuster edition (2007) is the conventionally accepted true first. Note a UK Orion hardcover also appeared in 2007, so US and UK firsts are near-simultaneous; the S&S edition is treated as the collecting first for this American author. A signed/limited state of the UK edition also exists.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No significant trade book-club edition of note. Be aware of two distinct signed/special states that are not the S&S trade first: an Orion (UK) signed limited issued in quarter leather with raised bands and marbled boards in a transparent acetate jacket, in a very small lettered run; and a later Easton Press leather-bound edition (2008) with a tipped-in signature leaf and certificate. Neither is the trade first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *The Tin Roof Blowdown* by James Lee Burke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/the-tin-roof-blowdown
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.