# Is "Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6" by Clive Barker a First Edition?

> **Quick answer.** A first edition of Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6 by Clive Barker (Sphere Books, 1985) is identified by: UK Sphere paperback originals (1985), priced 1.50 net, the same paperback-original format as Volumes 1-3. The original record's claim that Volumes 4-6 were hardcover-first (Weidenfeld & Nicolson) and thus the reverse of Volumes 1-3 is incorrect.

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

| | |
|---|---|
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Publisher | Sphere Books |
| Year | 1985 |
| 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 (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.

## Is this the true first?
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.

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

## Source
New Mexico Literacy Project — Is *Books of Blood, Volumes 4-6* by Clive Barker a first edition? https://newmexicoliteracyproject.org/first-edition/books-of-blood-volumes-4-6
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.