Is My Blue Mars a First Edition?

The points of issue

• UK HarperCollins/Voyager hardcover, London 1996, the true first
• The copyright page reads 'Published by Voyager 1996' above a number line printed in the Voyager style '1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2' (the '1' present marking the first printing); there is no 'First Edition' statement, that number line being the sole point
• Bound in blue heavy boards with silver lettering to the spine, 616 pages, in a priced pictorial jacket (the printed price should be present on the front flap)
• The US Bantam Spectra hardcover (also 1996) is a separate first, stating 'First Edition' with a full number line descending to 1

How HarperCollins / Voyager marked a first edition

• 1922–c.1962 (Harper & Brothers, stated-first era): from 1922 Harper & Brothers began printing the words 'First Edition' on the copyright page. IMPORTANT: the letter printing code did NOT stop in 1922 — it continued to ap…
• Reading the year code (the central trap): the year sequence begins M=1912 and runs forward through the alphabet — M=1912, N=1913, O=1914 … Z=1925, A=1926, B=1927 … L=1936. In 1937 the alphabet is RECYCLED: it restarts at…

Full HarperCollins / Voyager first-edition guide →

How to verify your copy, step by step

1. Find the copyright page — the verso (back) of the title page.
2. Confirm the first-edition statement — look for “First Edition,” “First Printing,” or the publisher’s equivalent wording.
3. Read the number line — the lowest number is the printing. A line including 1 is a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2). Paste it into the decoder.
4. Verify this is the UK true first — not a later-market or reprint edition.
5. Rule out a book-club edition — a blind-stamp on the rear board or a jacket with no printed price marks a book-club copy.
6. Photograph four things — the front cover, spine, title page, and copyright page — the standard record for identification.

The dust jacket

For a collectible first edition the dust jacket matters as much as the book. Confirm the jacket is present and unclipped — the printed price should still be at the corner of the flap (a clipped corner or a price-less flap can indicate a book-club issue). First-state jackets can differ from later ones in the cover art, blurbs, or review quotations; where a specific first-state jacket point is known for this title it is noted above.

Binding & format

Where multiple bindings exist, the hardcover trade issue is usually (but not always) the precedence copy — confirm against the points above. Later printings often show cheaper cloth, thinner boards, or simplified spine stamping. A simultaneous signed or limited issue, when one exists, is a distinct state from the trade first.

Is this the true first?

The UK HarperCollins/Voyager edition (1996) precedes the US Bantam Spectra edition (also 1996) and is the true first. Both are dated 1996, so confirm by imprint and jacket: the Voyager copy carries the '1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2' number line and no 'First Edition' line, whereas the Bantam Spectra copy states 'First Edition' with a full descending number line.P-018077

Telling it from reprints & book-club editions

The US Science Fiction Book Club edition lacks the 'First Edition' statement, carries a blind-stamp (typically to the rear board), is on cheaper bulked paper, and comes in a club jacket without a printed price on the flap.P-018078

Frequently asked questions

Is my copy of Blue Mars a first edition?

A first edition of Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson (HarperCollins / Voyager) is identified by: UK HarperCollins/Voyager hardcover, London 1996, the true first.

How do I tell the first printing from a later one?

Check the copyright page. A number line whose lowest number is 1 marks a first printing (Random House ends at 2). The UK HarperCollins/Voyager edition (1996) precedes the US Bantam Spectra edition (also 1996) and is the true first.

Is the book-club edition the same as the first?

The US Science Fiction Book Club edition lacks the 'First Edition' statement, carries a blind-stamp (typically to the rear board), is on cheaper bulked paper, and comes in a club jacket without a printed price on the flap.

I have a first edition of Blue Mars — what should I do?

First, document the copy: photograph the copyright page (the number line and any edition statement) and the dust-jacket flap — an unclipped, priced jacket matters. Confirm the points of issue above against your copy, and use the free First Edition Checker to decode the printing. To sell, the author’s collecting guide covers the market. And if you are clearing books in the Albuquerque area, the New Mexico Literacy Project offers free pickup, any condition, and makes sure collectible copies are identified rather than discarded.

Glossary

First edition

Every copy printed from the first setting of type. Collectors usually want the first edition, first printing (the true first).

First printing / impression

A single press run from that setting. The first printing is the earliest and most desirable; later printings are still the first edition but not the true first.

Number line (printer's key)

A row of numbers on the copyright page (e.g. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1). The lowest number present is the printing — a line including 1 marks a first printing (Random House deliberately ends at 2).

Points of issue

Specific physical details — a stated edition, a number line, a typo, a jacket state — that identify the true first printing.

Book-club edition (BCE)

A reprint made for a book club. Tells include a blind-stamped dot or square on the rear board and a dust jacket with no printed price. Not the true first.

First thus

The first appearance of a particular version (first paperback, first illustrated, first U.S. printing) — a first of that kind, not the first edition of the work.