The points of issue
UK Gollancz hardcover, London, 2000, is the first appearance of the complete novel in a single volume; issued in dust jacket. Identify by the 2000 Gollancz title page and no later-printing statement. The US Avon Eos edition split the text into four mass-market paperbacks, a materially different form.
Is this the true first?
Precedence here is genuinely split. The complete novel first appeared as one volume from Gollancz in the UK in 2000. However, the US Avon Eos paperback split released its first volume, titled A Secret History, in 1999, ahead of the UK single volume, with the remaining three volumes (Carthage Ascendant, The Wild Machines, Lost Burgundy) following in 2000. So the UK Gollancz 2000 is the first single-volume edition, but it is not the first appearance of the opening text in print. Ash won the 2000 BSFA Award for Best Novel and the 2001 Sidewise Award for Alternate History.
Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
The US four-volume Avon Eos paperbacks are a separate publishing form; the first of them (1999) actually predates the UK single volume. Later reissues are reprints.
Frequently asked questions
Is my copy of Ash: A Secret History a first edition?
Look for these first-edition points: UK Gollancz hardcover, London, 2000, is the first appearance of the complete novel in a single volume; issued in dust jacket. Identify by the 2000 Gollancz title page and no later-printing statement. The US Avon Eos edition split the text into four mass-market paperbacks, a materially different form.
How do I tell the first printing from a later one?
Check the copyright page for the publisher's first-printing convention and confirm the points above. Precedence here is genuinely split. The complete novel first appeared as one volume from Gollancz in the UK in 2000. However, the US Avon Eos paperback split released its first volume, titled A Secret History, in 1999, ahead of the UK single volume, with the remaining three volumes (Carthage Ascenda
Is the book-club edition the same as the first?
The US four-volume Avon Eos paperbacks are a separate publishing form; the first of them (1999) actually predates the UK single volume. Later reissues are reprints.
I have a first edition of Ash: A Secret History — what should I do?
If you're clearing books, New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup in Albuquerque, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies aren't lost. To sell, see the author's collecting guide. Either way, nothing valuable ends up in a landfill.