# Is "A Touch of Infinity" by Harlan Ellison a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of A Touch of Infinity by Harlan Ellison (Ace, 1960) is identified by: Not a standalone book. US Ace Double D-413 is the true first appearance.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Not a standalone book
- A Touch of Infinity is one half of Ace Double D-413, bound dos-a-dos (back-to-back, tete-beche) with The Man With Nine Lives
- The number D-413 is the Ace Double designation, and the printed price cover price applies to the combined volume
- It collects five science-fiction stories and is Ellison's first SF collection
- Publisher imprint reads Ace
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Harlan Ellison |
| Publisher | Ace |
| Year | 1960 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Not a standalone book |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Not a standalone book. A Touch of Infinity is one half of Ace Double D-413, bound dos-a-dos (back-to-back, tete-beche) with The Man With Nine Lives. The number D-413 is the Ace Double designation, and the printed price cover price applies to the combined volume. It collects five science-fiction stories and is Ellison's first SF collection.

## Is this the true first?
US Ace Double D-413 is the true first appearance. The original record's framing as a self-contained Ace PBO is imprecise; the point of issue is that it shares the Ace Double with The Man With Nine Lives.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book club edition; appeared only within the Ace Double paperback.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *A Touch of Infinity* by Harlan Ellison a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/a-touch-of-infinity
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.