# Is "A Case of Conscience" by James Blish a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Case of Conscience by James Blish (Ballantine Books, 1958) is identified by: Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, Ballantine number 256, the printed price, April 1958; 188 pp; cover art by Richard Powers. The US Ballantine 1958 paperback original is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, Ballantine number 256, the printed price, April 1958
- 188 pp; cover art by Richard Powers
- First printing carries the 256 code with no later-printing statement on the copyright page
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | James Blish |
| Publisher | Ballantine Books |
| Year | 1958 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, Ballantine number 256, the printed price, April 1958 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Paperback original in pictorial wrappers, Ballantine number 256, the printed price, April 1958; 188 pp; cover art by Richard Powers. First printing carries the 256 code with no later-printing statement on the copyright page.

## Is this the true first?
The US Ballantine 1958 paperback original is the true first edition. There was no simultaneous Ballantine hardcover. The first hardcover anywhere is the Faber (UK) 1959; the first US hardcover is later (Walker, 1969). Part of the work appeared earlier in Worlds of If (1953).

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No prominent book club edition of the true first; later Ballantine printings add printing statements or numbers to the copyright page.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Case of Conscience* by James Blish a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-case-of-conscience
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.