# Is "A Brief History of Time — deeper Hawking: Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays" by Stephen Hawking a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Brief History of Time — deeper Hawking: Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays by Stephen Hawking (Bantam, 1993) is identified by: Essay collection, roughly 182 pages, the author's preface dated 31 March 1993. Published 1993 by Bantam (US) and Bantam Press (UK); market priority is close.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Essay collection, roughly 182 pages, the author's preface dated 31 March 1993
- Bantam hardcover; the copyright page carries a full number line descending to 1 for the first printing
- ISBN 0-553-09523-9 (13-digit 978-0-553-09523-4)
- The first-issue jacket shows the printed price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads Bantam
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Stephen Hawking |
| Publisher | Bantam |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Essay collection, roughly 182 pages, the author's preface dated 31 March 1993 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Essay collection, roughly 182 pages, the author's preface dated 31 March 1993. Bantam hardcover; the copyright page carries a full number line descending to 1 for the first printing. ISBN 0-553-09523-9 (13-digit 978-0-553-09523-4). The first-issue jacket shows the printed price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
Published 1993 by Bantam (US) and Bantam Press (UK); market priority is close. A distinct collecting target from A Brief History of Time.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club issue of note; the usual confusion is later printings whose number line no longer descends to 1. The full number line to '1' plus the priced first-issue jacket identify the first printing.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Brief History of Time — deeper Hawking: Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays* by Stephen Hawking a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-brief-history-of-time-deeper-hawking-black-holes-and-baby
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.