# Is "Abarat" by Clive Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Abarat by Clive Barker (HarperCollins / Joanna Cotler Books, 2002) is identified by: US first edition: Joanna Cotler Books / HarperCollins, New York, 2002, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1; full-color reproductions of Barker's oil paintings throughout, patterned endpapers, and the appendix of excerpts from Klepp's Almenak. UK HarperCollins (London) and US Joanna Cotler Books editions both appeared in 2002; dealers often cite the UK issue as slightly preceding the October 2002 US release, and both are collected as firsts.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US first edition: Joanna Cotler Books / HarperCollins, New York, 2002, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1; full-color reproductions of Barker's oil paintings throughout, patterned endpapers, and the appendix of excerpts from Klepp's Almenak
- First of the Abarat series
- Publisher imprint reads HarperCollins / Joanna Cotler Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Publisher | HarperCollins / Joanna Cotler Books |
| Year | 2002 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US first edition: Joanna Cotler Books / HarperCollins, New York, 2002, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1… |
| Book-club edition exists? | Yes |

## Points of issue
US first edition: Joanna Cotler Books / HarperCollins, New York, 2002, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1; full-color reproductions of Barker's oil paintings throughout, patterned endpapers, and the appendix of excerpts from Klepp's Almenak. First of the Abarat series.

## Is this the true first?
UK HarperCollins (London) and US Joanna Cotler Books editions both appeared in 2002; dealers often cite the UK issue as slightly preceding the October 2002 US release, and both are collected as firsts. A signed, numbered limited edition of 175 copies was also issued by B. E. Trice.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Book club copies lack the printed jacket price and the number line; the heavy color plates make trade firsts noticeably well-produced by comparison.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Abarat* by Clive Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/abarat
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.