# Is "253: The Print Remix" by Geoff Ryman a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of 253: The Print Remix by Geoff Ryman (Flamingo, 1998) is identified by: UK Flamingo (HarperCollins) trade paperback original, 1998 — the print adaptation of Ryman's hypertext work. The UK Flamingo 1998 paperback is the true first print edition (first thus relative to the online original).

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Flamingo (HarperCollins) trade paperback original, 1998 — the print adaptation of Ryman's hypertext work
- The first printing states 'First published in Great Britain by Flamingo 1998' on the copyright page beneath a full descending number line reading 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and appears in illustrated wraps (there was no hardcover)
- A first-state copy retains the printed cover price unclipped
- Publisher imprint reads Flamingo
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Geoff Ryman |
| Publisher | Flamingo |
| Year | 1998 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Flamingo (HarperCollins) trade paperback original, 1998 — the print adaptation of Ryman's hypertext work |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
UK Flamingo (HarperCollins) trade paperback original, 1998 — the print adaptation of Ryman's hypertext work. The first printing states 'First published in Great Britain by Flamingo 1998' on the copyright page beneath a full descending number line reading 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, and appears in illustrated wraps (there was no hardcover). A first-state copy retains the printed cover price unclipped.

## Is this the true first?
The UK Flamingo 1998 paperback is the true first print edition (first thus relative to the online original). It won the 1999 Philip K. Dick Award; the print remix was the eligible print form.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The online 253 predates it but is not a print book. A US St. Martin's Press edition of 1998 is the first US printing and does not carry the Flamingo copyright-page statement or descending number line.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *253: The Print Remix* by Geoff Ryman a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/253-the-print-remix
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.