# Is "Aberration of Starlight" by Gilbert Sorrentino a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Aberration of Starlight by Gilbert Sorrentino (Random House, 1980) is identified by: First edition stated on the copyright page in the manner used by Random House at the time. True first is the 1980 Random House hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- First edition stated on the copyright page in the manner used by Random House at the time
- The hardcover was issued in a price-clipped-able dust jacket; confirm a first by the stated edition and the absence of any later-printing notice
- ISBN 0-394-51189-1
- Publisher imprint reads Random House
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Gilbert Sorrentino |
| Publisher | Random House |
| Year | 1980 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | First edition stated on the copyright page in the manner used by Random House at the time |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
First edition stated on the copyright page in the manner used by Random House at the time. The hardcover was issued in a price-clipped-able dust jacket; confirm a first by the stated edition and the absence of any later-printing notice. ISBN 0-394-51189-1.

## Is this the true first?
True first is the 1980 Random House hardcover. A later 1993 Dalkey Archive paperback (ISBN 1-56478-028-7 / 1-56478-439-8) is a reprint, not the first.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
None notable.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Aberration of Starlight* by Gilbert Sorrentino a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/aberration-of-starlight
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.