# Is "Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3" by Clive Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3 by Clive Barker (Sphere Books, 1984) is identified by: UK Sphere paperback originals (1984), priced 1.50 net. The Sphere UK paperbacks are the true first edition of Volumes 1-3; there was no prior hardcover.

**Checklist — a true first has these:**
- UK Sphere paperback originals
- , 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
- Publisher imprint reads Sphere Books
- Not a book-club edition (see below)

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Publisher | Sphere Books |
| Year | 1984 |
| True first | UK edition |
| Format | Hardcover (trade) |
| Key point | UK Sphere paperback originals |
| Book-club edition exists? | No |

## Points of issue
UK 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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

## Telling it from reprints & book-club editions
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.

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Books of Blood, Volumes 1-3* by Clive Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/books-of-blood-volumes-1-3
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.