# Is "2061: Odyssey Three" by Arthur C. Clarke a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of 2061: Odyssey Three by Arthur C. Clarke (Del Rey, 1987) is identified by: First edition, first printing has the complete Del Rey / Ballantine number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, with the price present on the jacket. The US Del Rey hardcover, dated 1987, is the true first; the UK Grafton Books hardcover followed in 1988.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition, first printing has the complete Del Rey / Ballantine number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, with the price present on the jacket
- Bound in boards with a quarter black cloth spine over black paper-covered boards
- 279 pages
- Publisher imprint reads Del Rey
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Arthur C. Clarke |
| Publisher | Del Rey |
| Year | 1987 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition, first printing has the complete Del Rey / Ballantine number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, with the price… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
First edition, first printing has the complete Del Rey / Ballantine number line 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 on the copyright page, with the price present on the jacket. Bound in boards with a quarter black cloth spine over black paper-covered boards; 279 pages.

## Is this the true first?
The US Del Rey hardcover, dated 1987, is the true first; the UK Grafton Books hardcover followed in 1988.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The book club edition is identifiable by a 'Book Club Edition' notation and the absence of a price on the jacket flap.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *2061: Odyssey Three* by Arthur C. Clarke a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/2061-odyssey-three
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.