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Dear John: My husband frequently teases me because I always say that the book sale we pass up will be the one that had the treasure, some spotless first edition I've been looking for for years. Well last Saturday as I was searching through tables and tables of books at a Friends of the Library book sale in Hamilton, TX, I came across a Dean Koontz book titled "After the Last Race" that I'd never even heard of. Now, it may not rise to the level of "treasure" and its condition was slightly less than spotless but I was thrilled. It appears to be pretty much a crime caper with a little romance thrown in, definitely not what we think of when we think of Dean Koontz. About all I can add is that it appears to have been printed in 1974 by Atheneum and sold for $8.95. Also, the author's name is listed as Dean R. Koontz. I would be very interested in anything else you can tell me about my book. J. Wardlow (Texas) John replies: After the Last Race is one of three titles written by Koontz in 1974. The other two were Strike Deep by Anthony North and Surrounded by Brian Coffey. All three were published by different houses. From 1970-1987 Dean Koontz wrote under numerous pen names. Among them the aforementioned North and Coffey, plus KR Dwyer, David Axton, John Hill, Leigh Nichols, Owen West, Richard Paige, Aaron Wolfe, and Deanna Dwyer. Many of the titles have been reissued under Koontz' own name, however, the true first editions bear the pen names, and as such, are much more collectible. The true first edition of After the Last Race was published in 1974 by Athenaeum and states "FIRST EDITION" on the copyright page. A collectible copy will bring between $250 and $700. So, nice find! John Ask John at: [email protected] Read articles about book collecting Read John's answers to book collecting questions Receive our Book Collecting PDFs and newsletters Sign up for our Book Club Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Facebook Watch our Videos