# Is "Trevayne" by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Trevayne by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) (Delacorte Press, 1973) is identified by: True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press, New York, 1973, carrying the words 'First printing' stated on the copyright page (Delacorte of this period identified firsts with a stated printing line rather than a number line). The 1973 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press, New York, 1973, carrying the words 'First printing' stated on the copyright page (Delacorte of this period identified firsts with a stated printing line rather than a number line)
- Binding is black cloth over red boards stamped in gold and red, with red topstain and black endpapers; issued in pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present
- Publisher imprint reads Delacorte Press
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) |
| Publisher | Delacorte Press |
| Year | 1973 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press, New York, 1973, carrying the words 'First printing' stated… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
True first was issued under the 'Jonathan Ryder' pseudonym by Delacorte Press, New York, 1973, carrying the words 'First printing' stated on the copyright page (Delacorte of this period identified firsts with a stated printing line rather than a number line). Binding is black cloth over red boards stamped in gold and red, with red topstain and black endpapers; issued in pictorial dust jacket with the printed price present.

## Is this the true first?
The 1973 Delacorte printing credited to Jonathan Ryder is the genuine first. Ludlum used the pseudonym because a novelist was not then expected to publish more than one book a year. The novel was later reissued under Ludlum's own name (1989); that reissue is not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club copies lack the stated 'First printing' line and are typically identified by a blind-stamped dot or gutter code to the rear board and a jacket without printed price; the later Ludlum-credited reissue is likewise not the true first.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Trevayne* by Jonathan Ryder (Robert Ludlum pseudonym) a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/trevayne
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.