# Is "A Night in the Lonesome October signed first" by Roger Zelazny a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Night in the Lonesome October signed first by Roger Zelazny (AvoNova, 1993) is identified by: The true first edition is the Morrow AvoNova hardcover of 1993. The US Morrow AvoNova hardcover (August 1993) is the true first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- The true first edition is the Morrow AvoNova hardcover of 1993
- The first printing states "First Morrow AvoNova Printing: August 1993" on the copyright page and carries a full number line ending in 1
- The text is punctuated by thirty-three full-page Gahan Wilson illustrations (one per chapter, plus one on the inside back cover)
- The dust jacket should retain its printed price at the top of the front flap (do not accept a clipped flap as automatically a first)
- Confirm the stated Morrow AvoNova printing line and the complete number line together with the Wilson artwork
- Publisher imprint reads AvoNova
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Roger Zelazny |
| Publisher | AvoNova |
| Year | 1993 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | The true first edition is the Morrow AvoNova hardcover of 1993 |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
The true first edition is the Morrow AvoNova hardcover of 1993. The first printing states "First Morrow AvoNova Printing: August 1993" on the copyright page and carries a full number line ending in 1. The text is punctuated by thirty-three full-page Gahan Wilson illustrations (one per chapter, plus one on the inside back cover). The dust jacket should retain its printed price at the top of the front flap (do not accept a clipped flap as automatically a first). Confirm the stated Morrow AvoNova printing line and the complete number line together with the Wilson artwork.

## Is this the true first?
The US Morrow AvoNova hardcover (August 1993) is the true first edition. Copies additionally signed by illustrator Gahan Wilson exist and are sought after, but the signature is a desirability point, not an edition point.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book-club editions and later printings reprint the text but are not the first edition and are far less collectible. A book-club copy typically lacks the "First Morrow AvoNova Printing: August 1993" statement and the full number line ending in 1, and often has a blind stamp to the rear board and no printed jacket price. Use the points above to be certain — see book-club edition vs. first edition.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Night in the Lonesome October signed first* by Roger Zelazny a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-night-in-the-lonesome-october-signed-first
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.