# Is "All the Myriad Ways" by Larry Niven a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of All the Myriad Ways by Larry Niven (Ballantine, 1971) is identified by: Ballantine Books paperback original, New York, catalog number 02280, first printing June 1971, cover art by Dean Ellis. US Ballantine paperback original (June 1971) is the true first; there was no prior hardcover edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- Ballantine Books paperback original, New York, catalog number 02280, first printing June 1971, cover art by Dean Ellis
- Pictorial wrappers with the Ballantine catalog number and cover price printed on the front cover; a collection of fourteen short stories and essays
- First printing is identified by the June 1971 statement and the 02280 number with no later-printing notation
- Publisher imprint reads Ballantine
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Larry Niven |
| Publisher | Ballantine |
| Year | 1971 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | Ballantine Books paperback original, New York, catalog number 02280, first printing June 1971, cover art by Dean Ellis |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
Ballantine Books paperback original, New York, catalog number 02280, first printing June 1971, cover art by Dean Ellis. Pictorial wrappers with the Ballantine catalog number and cover price printed on the front cover; a collection of fourteen short stories and essays. First printing is identified by the June 1971 statement and the 02280 number with no later-printing notation.

## Is this the true first?
US Ballantine paperback original (June 1971) is the true first; there was no prior hardcover edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
No book-club edition; issued as a mass-market paperback original.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *All the Myriad Ways* by Larry Niven a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/all-the-myriad-ways
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.