Clive Barker First Editions

• Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3 — 1984 · Sphere BooksUK Sphere paperback originals (1984), priced 1.50 net. The earliest state carries the photographic covers; the same first edition was later reissued with covers using Barker's own artwork, so the photo-cover state is the true earliest. As paperback originals, the first printings carry no later-printing statement or number line. The Sphere UK paperbacks are the true first edition of Volumes 1-3; there was no prior hardcover. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson UK hardcovers (1985) and the US Berkley/Putnam editions are later. The photo-cover state precedes the Barker-artwork state. No book club edition of the paperback original. Later Sphere reprints (from 1987) carry the Barker-artwork covers; the Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcovers and signed limited boxed sets are first thus.
• Books of Blood, Volumes I–III — 1984 · SphereThe true textual firsts are the Sphere paperback originals, Volumes I, II and III, published in London in 1984 at 1.the printed price, with Barker's own cover paintings. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcovers followed in 1985. For the W&N hardcover firsts, look for the publisher's statement on the copyright page and the absence of any later-printing line. The Sphere paperbacks are the true textual firsts (Volumes I–III, 1984; IV–VI, 1985). The W&N hardcovers (1985–1986) and the US Poseidon hardcovers came afterward. W&N also issued a signed, boxed hardcover limited edition of 200 copies in 1985, which is the deluxe state collectors prize. No book-club edition is the principal trap; the real pitfalls are later Sphere reprints (check the copyright page for added printing numbers) and the retitled or repackaged US volumes such as The Inhuman Condition.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 1 — 1984 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1984, cover the printed price. First printings carry the distinctive distorted mirror-effect front cover; later Sphere printings substitute covers reproducing Clive Barker's own paintings taken from the Weidenfeld & Nicolson jacket art. The 1984 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover followed in 1985 (with a 200-copy signed and boxed limited issue) and is the first hardcover, not a simultaneous first. US editions, including the Berkley paperback and the illustrated Scream/Press limited, came later. The 1985 Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover is often misdescribed as the true first, and later Sphere printings with the painting covers are commonly offered as firsts; the mirror-effect cover marks the first printing.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 2 — 1984 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1984, cover the printed price. First printings carry the distorted mirror-effect front cover; later Sphere printings use covers reproducing Barker's paintings from the Weidenfeld & Nicolson jacket art. The 1984 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover followed in 1985 (with a 200-copy signed and boxed limited issue) and is the first hardcover, not a simultaneous first. US editions came later. The 1985 Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover is often misdescribed as the true first; later Sphere printings with the painting covers are not first printings.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 3 — 1984 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1984, cover the printed price. First printings carry the distorted mirror-effect front cover; later Sphere printings use covers reproducing Barker's paintings from the Weidenfeld & Nicolson jacket art. The 1984 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover followed in 1985 (with a 200-copy signed and boxed limited issue) and is the first hardcover, not a simultaneous first. US editions came later. The 1985 Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover is often misdescribed as the true first; later Sphere printings with the painting covers are not first printings.
• Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 — 1985 · Sphere BooksUK Sphere paperback originals (1985), priced 1.50 net, the same paperback-original format as Volumes 1-3. Weidenfeld & Nicolson issued hardcovers of these volumes in 1985-1986, but those followed the Sphere paperbacks rather than preceding them. The original record's claim that Volumes 4-6 were hardcover-first (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) and thus the reverse of Volumes 1-3 is incorrect. All six volumes were Sphere paperback originals; the Sphere paperback is the true UK first for Volumes 4-6 as well. The Weidenfeld hardcovers are near-simultaneous but later, and the US retitled editions (such as The Inhuman Condition and In the Flesh) are later still. No book club edition of the paperback original. The Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcovers and signed limited boxed sets are first thus, not the primary first edition.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 4 — 1985 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1985. First printing shows the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement with no later-printing notice; Sphere reprinted in 1987. Published in the US retitled The Inhuman Condition. The 1985 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition. Weidenfeld & Nicolson issued a UK hardcover the same year (with a 200-copy signed and boxed limited issue). The US Poseidon hardcover, retitled The Inhuman Condition, followed in 1986, and a Scream/Press signed limited in 1987. A Doubleday book club hardcover of The Inhuman Condition appeared in 1987; club copies lack the Poseidon trade edition's price and gutter-code tells. Later Sphere printings and the 1991 Macdonald hardcover are not firsts.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 5 — 1985 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1985. First printing shows the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement with no later-printing notice; Sphere reprinted in 1987. Published in the US retitled In the Flesh. The 1985 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition. Weidenfeld & Nicolson issued a UK hardcover the same year (with a 200-copy signed and boxed limited issue). The US Poseidon hardcover, retitled In the Flesh, followed in 1986, and a Scream/Press signed limited in 1988. A Doubleday book club hardcover of In the Flesh appeared in 1987; club copies lack the Poseidon trade edition's tells. Later Sphere printings and the 1991 Macdonald hardcover are not firsts.
• Clive Barker's Books of Blood, Volume 6 — 1985 · Sphere BooksSphere paperback original, London, 1985, with cover art by Clive Barker; contains 'The Life of Death,' 'How Spoilers Bleed,' 'Twilight at the Towers,' 'The Last Illusion,' and the postscript 'On Jerusalem Street.' The first printing carries the 1985 Sphere first-edition statement and printed cover price with no later-printing notice; Sphere reprinted in 1987. The 1985 Sphere paperback original is the true first edition of Volume 6. Unlike Volumes 1 to 3, the Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover of Volume 6 followed a year later, in 1986, with a dust jacket reproducing Barker's own painting; sources consistently date the W&N Volume 6 hardcover to 1986 rather than 1985. A 200-copy signed and boxed Weidenfeld & Nicolson limited issue exists but comprised Volumes 4, 5, and 6…. No US book club edition of this volume exists, unlike the retitled Volumes 4 and 5. Later Sphere printings, the 1986 Weidenfeld & Nicolson hardcover, and the 1995 Lord of Illusions tie-in reissues are not the paperback first.
• The Damnation Game — 1985 · Weidenfeld & NicolsonUK first (London, 1985, roughly 3,000-copy trade run) states first publication by George Weidenfeld and Nicolson. A signed, numbered limited of 250 copies also exists, bound in black cloth, issued without a dust jacket in a black cloth slipcase. The UK Weidenfeld & Nicolson edition is the true first of Barker's first novel; the US Putnam edition (1987) is a later, slightly revised text. The 250-copy signed limited is the deluxe state. No true book-club issue of the UK first; later printings carry additional printing statements. Distinguish the 250-copy signed/numbered slipcased limited from the trade hardcover.
• The Hellbound Heart — 1986 · Dark HarvestThe text first appeared in the anthology Night Visions 3, published by Dark Harvest in November 1986, which was issued in a trade hardcover and a signed/limited slipcased state. The first US standalone repackaging was the Berkley mass-market paperback titled Night Visions: The Hellbound Heart in 1988. A standalone edition under the bare title The Hellbound Heart from HarperPaperbacks did not appear until 1991,…. The true first appearance is within Night Visions 3 (Dark Harvest, 1986), the source of the film Hellraiser. The original record's pairing of HarperPaperbacks with 1988 is incorrect: the 1988 standalone was Berkley's Night Visions: The Hellbound Heart, while the HarperPaperbacks standalone is 1991. Any separately titled paperback is first thus, not the first appearance of the text. No conventional book club edition. The standalone paperbacks are first thus and do not represent the first printing of the text.
• Weaveworld — 1987 · CollinsBoth the UK Collins hardcover (10.the printed price) and the US Poseidon Press hardcover (18.the printed price) appeared in 1987. The Collins first carries the publisher's 1987 statement with no later-printing line and Barker's jacket art; the Poseidon first likewise has no added printing line. Signed, numbered, boxed limited editions exist from both Collins (500 copies) and Poseidon (500 copies), plus small…. Both 1987 editions are first editions in their territories. Precedence between them is not firmly established: some sources date the US Poseidon issue (early October 1987) slightly ahead of the UK Collins issue (mid-October 1987), so the record's flat claim that Collins is the true first overstates the evidence. Treat them as effectively simultaneous 1987 firsts, with the US possibly first to market. No book-club edition of note; later printings carry an amended printing statement on the copyright page. Verify the signed limiteds by their numbering and box.
• Cabal — 1988 · Poseidon PressPoseidon Press, New York, 1988: first edition hardback in black cloth spine over red paper-covered boards, first printing with number line including 1. The US edition uniquely contains the Cabal novella together with the four stories of Books of Blood Volume VI. Basis for the film Nightbreed. A Poseidon signed limited issue of 750 copies was also produced. The US Poseidon Press 1988 hardback is the true first. In the UK, only a Fontana paperback appeared in 1988; the Collins hardback (2,300 copies) did not follow until 1989. A Poseidon/Doubleday book club edition exists: no price on the jacket flap, no number line, smaller format with cheaper binding.
• The Great and Secret Show — 1989 · CollinsFirst book of the Art trilogy. The UK Collins hardcover (ISBN 0-00-223453-X) and the US Harper & Row hardcover (ISBN 0-06-016276-7) both appeared in 1989 with priced jackets. Confirm the imprint and the original (unclipped) jacket price against the copyright page. Both the UK Collins and the US Harper & Row editions are dated 1989 and are commonly treated as effectively simultaneous; the original record's confident assertion that the UK clearly precedes is not well supported, so collectors should treat either national first as a true first of its market rather than assuming UK priority. Book club editions and later printings lack the original priced jacket; verify the unclipped jacket price and absence of a later-printing statement.
• Imajica — 1991 · HarperCollinsPublished in both London and New York in 1991. The US first printing states First Edition with a full number line including 1. The original one-volume 1991 edition is the first; the novel was later reissued split into two volumes. A US signed limited issue of 500 numbered copies (plus 26 lettered) was also published. UK and US HarperCollins editions both appeared in 1991; month-level precedence is not firmly established, and the official Barker bibliography lists the UK edition first. A 1991 book club edition exists: no price on the jacket, no full number line, smaller and lighter than the trade edition.
• The Thief of Always — 1992 · HarperCollinsPublished in both London and New York in 1992; an illustrated fable written and illustrated by Barker. The US first printing has a full number line including 1; the UK first edition carries the sterling price at the lower corner of the back jacket flap. UK and US HarperCollins editions both appeared in 1992; precedence is not firmly established, and the official Barker bibliography lists the UK edition first. Book club copies lack the jacket price and the full number line and are typically smaller than the trade edition.
• Everville — 1994 · HarperCollinsPublished in both London and New York in 1994; the Second Book of the Art, following The Great and Secret Show. The US first printing states First Edition with a full number line including 1. Limited issues exist: a UK numbered edition of 2,000 copies and a US signed limited of 500 numbered copies plus 26 lettered. UK and US HarperCollins editions both appeared in 1994; precedence is not firmly established, and the official Barker bibliography lists the UK edition first. Book club copies lack the jacket price and the full number line and are typically smaller than the trade edition.
• Sacrament — 1996 · HarperCollinsPublished in both London and New York in 1996. The US first printing states First Edition with a full number line including 1; dealers consistently cite the complete number line as the key identifier of the first printing. UK and US HarperCollins editions both appeared in 1996; precedence is not firmly established, and the official Barker bibliography lists the UK edition first. Both UK (Book Club Associates) and US book club editions exist: no price on the jacket and no full number line.
• Galilee — 1998 · HarperCollinsPublished in both New York and London in 1998. The US first printing states First Edition with a full number line including 1. A US signed limited issue of 150 numbered copies plus 26 lettered, slipcased, was also published by HarperCollins in 1998. US and UK HarperCollins editions both appeared in 1998; the official Barker bibliography lists the US edition ahead of the UK, though month-level precedence is not firmly documented. Book club copies lack the jacket price and the full number line and are typically smaller than the trade edition.
• Coldheart Canyon — 2001 · HarperCollinsUS first edition: HarperCollins, New York, 2001, with a full number line ending in 1 on the copyright page; 2,500 copies were signed and carry a gold 'signed first edition' sticker on the jacket. UK first edition: HarperCollins, London, 2001, first-publication statement with a number line including 1. UK and US HarperCollins editions appeared in autumn 2001 with no firmly established precedence; collectors treat both as first editions. Book club copies lack the printed jacket price and the complete number line, and are typically smaller with cheaper binding.
• Abarat — 2002 · HarperCollins / Joanna Cotler BooksUS 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. 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. Book club copies lack the printed jacket price and the number line; the heavy color plates make trade firsts noticeably well-produced by comparison.
• Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War — 2004 · HarperCollins / Joanna Cotler BooksUS first edition: Joanna Cotler Books / HarperCollins, New York, 2004, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1; illustrated throughout with Barker's color paintings. Second book of the Abarat series. US Joanna Cotler Books and UK HarperCollins editions both appeared in 2004, effectively simultaneous; no firm precedence is established, and both are collected as firsts. Book club copies lack the printed jacket price and the number line.
• Mister B. Gone — 2007 · HarperCollinsUS first edition: HarperCollins, New York, published October 2007, with First Edition stated and a full number line ending in 1; the trade edition is deliberately designed to resemble an aged, distressed antique book. Published in the US by HarperCollins and in the UK under the Harper Voyager imprint in October 2007, effectively simultaneous; no firm precedence, and both are collected as firsts. Book club copies lack the printed jacket price and the number line.

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