# Is "Batman: Captured by the Engines" by Joe R. Lansdale a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Batman: Captured by the Engines by Joe R. Lansdale (Warner Books, 1991) is identified by: US Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a number line ending in 1. The Warner paperback original is the true first; the 1992 Borderlands Press signed limited hardcover is a later collectible issue, not the first edition.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- US Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a number line ending in 1
- A Borderlands Press hardcover followed in 1992, limited to 500 numbered copies signed on a tipped-in leaf
- Publisher imprint reads Warner Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Joe R. Lansdale |
| Publisher | Warner Books |
| Year | 1991 |
| True first | — |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | US Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a number line ending in 1 |
| Book-club edition exists? | — |

## Points of issue
US Warner Books mass-market paperback original, 1991, with a number line ending in 1. A Borderlands Press hardcover followed in 1992, limited to 500 numbered copies signed on a tipped-in leaf.

## Is this the true first?
The Warner paperback original is the true first; the 1992 Borderlands Press signed limited hardcover is a later collectible issue, not the first edition.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
Not applicable; the first is a paperback original.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Batman: Captured by the Engines* by Joe R. Lansdale a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/batman-captured-by-the-engines
CC BY 4.0. Part of the Canonical First-Edition Points of Issue dataset (https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/api/first-edition-titles.json). Last reviewed 2026-07-03.