First Edition Points and Criteria for The Hunt for Red October

Year Published: 1984
Author Last Name: Clancy
Author First Name: Tom
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Original Price: None
Pages: 387

The copyright page has exactly 18 lines of text, including a Library of Congress statement, but it has no statement of printing. First Edition or First Printing is NOT stated, and there is no number line. The book is heavy, weighing 1 pound, and 13 ounces. It is cloth bound with a Russian hammer and sickle embossed on the front, and silver lettering on the spine. The dust jacket has no price, and has 6 review blurbs on the back. The reviewers are (in order) Jack Higgins, Joseph Wambaugh, Clive Cussler, Edward L. Beach, John Moore, and Stansfield Turner.

Because there is no price on first edition Hunt for Red October dust jacket, it can be confused for a book club edition if that alone is the criteria being considered. But fortunately there are several other ways to tell the first edition from the book club edition we have observed. The true first edition is 9.25 inches tall, while the book club edition is an inch shorter. The first edition has 18 lines of text on the copyright page, while the book club edition has only 12 lines of text. The missing 6 lines are Library of Congress statements. The first edition is fully bound in red cloth, while the book club edition has cheaper two-tone paper boards.


Picture of the 1984 first edition dust jacket for The Hunt for Red October.


This is the copyright page from the first printing of the first edition.


The Hunt for Red October dust jacket has no price, which has lead many people to confuse it for a book club edition. The book club edition also lacks a price on its dust jacket. But fortunately there are several other ways to tell them apart.


The first issue dust jacket has 6 review blurbs on the back. The reviewers are (in order) Jack Higgins, Joseph Wambaugh, Clive Cussler, Edward L. Beach, John Moore, and Stansfield Turner.


Picture of the first edition Naval Institute Press boards for The Hunt for Red October.


This is the back board for the first edition of The Hunt for Red October. The ISBN should not be mistaken for a book club blind stamp.


This is the back dust jacket flap for the first edition of The Hunt for Red October.


This is the title page for the first edition of The Hunt for Red October.


This is the copyright page from the second printing.


This is the copyright page from the thrid printing. This marks the beginning of number line use, which appears on subsequent printings.


The dust jacket on the left is from the first edition of The Hunt for Red October. Notice the 6 review blurbs. The dust jacket on the right is from a third printing. It has 8 reviews, and the reviewers names are bolded.


The true first edition of The Hunt for Red October is 9.25 inches tall, while the book club edition we observed is an inch shorter. Notice too that the words "Red October" on the first edition are a dark red, while the same words on the book club edition are a much brighter red.


The true first edition of The Hunt for Red October has 18 lines of text on the copyright page, while the book club edition has only 12 lines of text. The missing 6 lines are Library of Congress statements.


The first edition of The Hunt for Red October is fully bound in red cloth, while the book club edition has cheaper two-tone paper boards.

Other first edition points for books by Tom Clancy include: Patriot Games, Red Storm Rising.