# Is "Angel with the Sword" by C.J. Cherryh a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Angel with the Sword by C.J. Cherryh (DAW Books, 1985) is identified by: DAW hardcover original, one of DAW's earliest hardcovers, ISBN 0-809-90001-7; 293 pages, collating the novel with an appendix history of the canal city Merovin, an index of buildings, and eight pages of maps. US DAW hardcover (September 1985) is the true first; the DAW mass-market paperback followed in 1986.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- DAW hardcover original, one of DAW's earliest hardcovers, ISBN 0-809-90001-7
- 293 pages, collating the novel with an appendix history of the canal city Merovin, an index of buildings, and eight pages of maps
- First printing carries the number line on the copyright page
- The dust jacket bears wraparound art by Tim Hildebrandt; a correct first-issue jacket retains its printed cover price on the front flap
- Publisher imprint reads DAW Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | C.J. Cherryh |
| Publisher | DAW Books |
| Year | 1985 |
| True first | US edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | DAW hardcover original, one of DAW's earliest hardcovers, ISBN 0-809-90001-7 |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
DAW hardcover original, one of DAW's earliest hardcovers, ISBN 0-809-90001-7; 293 pages, collating the novel with an appendix history of the canal city Merovin, an index of buildings, and eight pages of maps. First printing carries the number line on the copyright page. The dust jacket bears wraparound art by Tim Hildebrandt; a correct first-issue jacket retains its printed cover price on the front flap.

## Is this the true first?
US DAW hardcover (September 1985) is the true first; the DAW mass-market paperback followed in 1986. First book of the Merovingen Nights sequence in the Alliance-Union universe.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Angel with the Sword* by C.J. Cherryh a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/angel-with-the-sword
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.