# Is "A Fire Upon the Deep" by Vernor Vinge a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (Tor Books, 1992) is identified by: Tor hardcover first printing with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and a complete number line ending in 1. The US Tor 1992 hardcover is the true first; the UK Millennium 1992 edition is a separate printing.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Tor hardcover first printing with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and a complete number line ending in 1
- Priced dust jacket (price on the front flap); jacket art by Boris Vallejo, design by Carol Russo
- Black cloth with silver spine lettering; publisher's boards
- Locus SF Novel and Hugo winner
- Publisher imprint reads Tor Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Vernor Vinge |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Year | 1992 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Tor hardcover first printing with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and a complete number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
Tor hardcover first printing with the 'First Edition' statement on the copyright page and a complete number line ending in 1. Priced dust jacket (price on the front flap); jacket art by Boris Vallejo, design by Carol Russo. Black cloth with silver spine lettering; publisher's boards. Locus SF Novel and Hugo winner.

## Is this the true first?
The US Tor 1992 hardcover is the true first; the UK Millennium 1992 edition is a separate printing.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The Science Fiction Book Club edition has no price on the jacket, a blind-stamp/gutter dot on the rear board, and lacks the Tor number line ending in 1.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Fire Upon the Deep* by Vernor Vinge a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-fire-upon-the-deep
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.